Down Shifting
by RogueOne16th
Summary: My first FF. Eragon and "friends" are attempting to take down the unknown Galbatorix who is terrorizing people across America with his underground crime ring. Not all characters are listed. I tried to get the important characters. Open to all suggestions M for language and blood/gore.
1. The Beginning of the End

**A/N**

This is my first FF and am primarily writing this to be able to be a Beta. The plan is 6,000 words, regardless of how bad this will probably be, but I will continue it if, by some miracle, people enjoy reading it. Tips on characterization and anything else will be greatly appreciated as I haven't written fiction in a VERY long time. Without further ado...

 **Eragon**

"I believe that's enough," called a calm voice behind him. His attention snapped from his pacing around the perfectly tuned, ice white McLaren 720S, which was filled with carbon fiber detailing, to look at Arya. She looked slightly concerned at his unusual pre-race reaction as she walked over to him. Her emerald eyes shining with emotion, with her entire face and neck exposed as her ebony hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"I'm sorry, I'm just...tense at the moment," Eragon replied as she stopped inches in front of him, her concerned look only growing. Both being unsure of their actions with the tension, Arya slowly moved forward, pressing Eragon into his car and kissing him, slowly and purposefully. Arya's arms immediately rose around his neck as Eragon's wrapped around her waist. They had been locked together for almost a minute when they broke apart with elevated heart rates.

"I know. This will be just another of your countless races,"Arya murmured against his lips, attempting to alleviate the tension in the empty parking garage. He smiled, finally feeling at ease, even if only slightly, for a brief moment after a stressful week of preparing for this one race. She immediately knew that she succeeded in easing the tension.

Several high-end cars were heard pulling up from the lower levels of the unfinished, vacant parking garage. Eragon knew it was time to focus as he initiated one final, passionate kiss with Arya before the others arrived. As they broke apart, Saphira's familiar sapphire blue 2017 Audi R8 rolled into the garage, the blonde behind the wheel casually pulled the car beside Arya's silver 2017 NISMO Nissan GT-R, parked safely away from what will become, the path to be taken by the mysterious leader of Empire, the underground racing group with ties to countless financial businesses to provide funds for hypercars, known as Galbatorix.

Saphira stepped out of the car, looking determined despite the gravity of the situation, who helped a still injured Firnen out of the car, looking just as determined. Acknowledging each other with quick nods of the head, the four stood in silence as both friend and foe arrived. Varden's racers stayed on one side while Empire's stayed in the other, barely acknowledging one another. Those who arrived were recognizable, as the leaders of the two groups were the only people told to arrive in this particular spot. Murtagh peaked the ramp, followed by Orik and Thorn, all three in their respective cars. The others were told to set up to livestream the race to keep everyone up to date on the positions.

Everyone kept conversation light, amongst themselves knowing what was about to happen. Until the low rumble of a final engine approached. The parking garage fell silent. Everyone knew what was happening. Slowly, people moved to the TV set up for the leaders to watch the progress. Arya looked back to Eragon, still being held in his arms, and gave him one final kiss. It was purposeful, to show how much she cared. He responded, attempting to portray as many emotions as he could before they broke apart. Arya spoke first, saying "I love you. Do what needs to be done, but be careful."

He responded with: "And I you. He has to be stopped and this is the only way to fulfill the trap. I wish there was an easier way, but there isn't." Arya nodded as Eragon heard the car roll up. Eragon retracted his arms and stepped into the car, gripping the carbon fiber steering wheel. As he did, Galbatorix rolled up in a matte black Porsche and began to make his U-turn behind the 720S. As he did, deja vu hit him and he thought about the events leading up to this moment.

 **A/N**

I decided to start towards the end and will continue with a flashback to the beginning. Probably a mistake, but I left details out in purpose to not spoil too much. Also, I haven't decided fully on who will drive what and suggestions will be appreciated for various characters. I proofread, but mistakes are very plausible and I will fix them if they are pointed out to me or if I notice them. Thank you for reading, please review with your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**

Are indentions necessary? Please PM me or Review with an answer knows Brom is his dad. I used them as synonyms to not wear one or the other out. Also, most of my engine knowledge ends after classic cars and I won't focus this much on details on newer cars unless you all enjoy it, then I can research some. As far as drifting, I've never learned and won't act like I do. I'll keep it generalized after some much needed research on that too.

 **Chapter 2**

 **Eragon**

When Brom first said yes, he was ecstatic. Now, he had never been this nervous. He got his license as soon as he turned sixteen, flying through the instructor's instructions, without an ounce of nerves. He wasn't a nervous person. This was different. He was learning to drive manual after a year of driving the automatic, midnight black 1968 Chevrolet Camaro that he and his dad built from the ground up, starting with a pristine body and a few parts. The automatic tranny was forced on him after convincing his dad to put a 454 big block inside. His dad said yes seventeen days ago, but he bought a five-speed tranny, which arrived ten days ago, and put it in his Camaro, also with his dad's help.

Eragon was watching intently from the passenger's seat as Brom casually walked to enter the driver's side. Brom, as soon as the door opened, stated with a serious voice "let's establish this again, you are not to redline this car. It is a big block and will blow the engine before you pass the eighth of a mile mark."

Eragon nodded, already informing his dad he drag races majority of friday nights at an abandoned one mile drag strip. He didn't, however, know of his interest in street racing. Without a manual transmission, he strictly raced for bragging rights. He lost almost every drag race while refusing to street race. He didn't have the skill, but that was next on the list.

He had been comparing professional instructors ever since his dad accepted his offer. A man named Oromis was high on the list, with an exceptional record in his younger years, but was also high on the price. The others had half the experience or less and were mostly self-taught, however, their prices made up for it. Another problem was his training track was just outside of Surda, a small town called Weldenvarden, a several hour drive from his house. That presented another prob-. "Son, are you paying attention?" Brom asked, agitated.

"Sorry, I was sidetracked with something at school," Eragon half-lied due to the fact that he researched in class occasionally. Refocusing on his father, he watched eagerly in anticipation to learn.

Hours flew quickly as Brom drove, then gave the keys to Eragon. By the time they were done, driving a five-speed was just another habit. "He might have some of my genes after all," his dad joked to Selena, walking back inside the house.

"As long as he doesn't follow into his father's footsteps…" Selena teased, hinting at her husband's lawless teenage years before he got his professional start, with numerous close-calls.

"Don't forget, one of those races is where you two met," Eragon retorted, remembering the story vividly. Both parents gave him a look that stated "that's no excuse to race," causing him to smirk.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur, identical to every Sunday before it. But, sadly,it was the last.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**

The drifting terms come exactly from this website:

I picked his first drift due to my choice of a 454 in the '68. I'll probably move it to an M rating and add some language. If you guys want it to remain T, PM or add a review. Anyways, without further ado...

 **Chapter 3**

It was Friday night, the sun had just fell below the trees, and the competitors were already lined up. Eragon had already checked out the competition, as they had him. His advantage, however, was this was his first street race. He knew their strengths and weaknesses, based Eli's opinion. Eragon didn't know Eli well, but he was the best racer in the area. He took Eragon under his wing to teach him how to do basic drifts after he learned how to drift a manual last Sunday. Eli had time for Eragon to master the power over drift, bringing up the idea for his first race yesterday to test his confidence among other racers.

Eragon revved the engine, staying below the 4000 RPM line, every once in awhile. He told himself it helps prepare the car for the race, but the sound of the engine roar was too tempting to pass up. The two drivers to his left, one in a silver '99 Nissan Skyline and the other in a red '99 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, revved their engines to their rev limiter. Quick pops from the exhaust followed after their RPMs died down. The spectators surrounding the cars, in a U shape, cheered at the flames protruding from the exhausts.

Eragon checked the time. It read 10:33, meaning the race should start any time now. As he looked up, he saw the fourth car, on his right. The driver wore a black hoodie, masking his entire face and torso, with a bandana covering his face from the nose bridge down. It was curious for someone to willingly add what could hinder them in the race, but some people took superstitions too far. He must too or be hiding his identity, which he doubted due to the fact that there was no reason to.

Right as Eragon examining the masked opponent's black 1996 Porsche 911, a knock came from his window. Snapping to it, he saw Eli's hard, hazel eyes looking at him. He was slim from his face to his torso, with a straight nose. As Eragon rolled the window down, Eli began speaking "the money isn't important. If you lose and it matters that much, I'll pay you back. Your only focus should be driving and the Porsche. That man hasn't raced here before, but shouldn't be underestimated." As Eli finished, Eragon took one last look at the driver to find him looking straight at him. His hood darkened everything except a slight shade from his eyes that almost look red. The hooded man turned away first, then Eragon refocused in Eli as he concluded with "the race is about to start. Good luck, man."

"Thanks, I'll need it," Eragon murmured, distracted by the drag tree's yellow light. The route begins on the drag strip, then takes a hard right at the end to head towards the nearly emptied streets. The first mile could be a make or break on the rest of the race.

Engines revved at the sight of the yellow light, Eragon's 454 sitting at 4000 RPMs. The second light came on, after what felt like an hour. Everyone was tense, except for the mysteriously hooded man in the Porsche. Out of the corner of his eye, the man was fidgeting with his radio. The final yellow light shined, diverting Eragon's attention back to the situation at hand.

Moving his right hand to the shifter, the green light announced their ability to go. Tires squealed from all four cars as they lurched into motion. The Evo immediately gain a slight lead, but evened out with the others quickly as they tore through the drag strip. As the 3/4 of a mile(1200 meters) approached, Eragon realized his opponents' recklessness as he began to slow, anticipating a hard right drift, merging from two, very wide roads into one two lane road. As he checked the surrounding cars to prepare for the drift, he realized the Porsche was in last, making no move to pass, while the leading cars slowed once they were only a hundred feet(30 meters) away. Pushing it from his mind, he let off the gas pedal slightly, then pushed it hard, swinging the rear end around, to smoothly transition onto the road. The Evo drifted early and aggressively, causing the front right tire to drop off the asphalt, shifting the car's center of gravity to the front. The Evo immediately spun out in the grass less than half a second before Eragon passed him. The Skyline narrowly managed to maintain control, to Eragon's disappointment, by utilizing sloppy corrections. The Camaro's engine roared as Eragon accelerated, attempting to close the gap between his front and the Skyline's before the last 90 degree turn of this half of the race. All three remaining cars prepared for and executed various drifts. This street had no traffic at this time of day. It was one less thing to worry about. Until the worst thing that could happen, happened. Two undercover 2017 Dodge Chargers blared their sirens as soon as the racers' tires moved onto the public road.

Eragon panicked, knowing exactly how mad his parents would be if he got caught. He accelerated immediately, swiftly moving through his gears. The driver of the Skyline also panicked, but, in his nervous state, oversteered halfway through the upcoming, 45 degree left turn. The front left bumper clipped the guardrail overlooking a rather steep hill. The Skyline spun out of control. All Eragon could do was slam on his breaks, watching as the Porsche flew beside him and the police cruisers boxed the two drivers in. With the Skyline's front left bumper touching the tire, there was no getting out of this and all Eragon could think of was Brom's angry face as he followed the police's instructions.

The ride to the station was quiet. Once arriving, there was no change. He gathered his courage and called Brom. After half of a ring, Brom answered with "hello?" in a worried voice.

 _Shit_ , Eragon thought, _that's certainly a new tone._ "Dad, it's me. I'm at Carvahall County Police Station-"

"I'm in my way," was Brom's only reply as he hung up.

 **A/N**

Sorry for the week and a half hiatus. My teacher made us memorize all of To Be or Not to Be. Not my thing. Anyways, I decided to upload weekly, on Fridays, with a double post this weekend as an apology. My plan is to increase chapter length as the story gets out of this introduction. Thanks for reading, R&R.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**

Another chapter. I might do Monday and Friday uploads, actually. I have more time on the weekends, so I should be able to bust out a chapter during Saturday and Sunday. Also, there are lots of German readers. I didn't expect that, honestly, but the more the merrier. Anyways, R&R.

 **Chapter 3**

 **Brom**

He pulled out of the driveway, rather aggressively, in his haste. His cardinal red Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S's tires screeching throughout the turn. As he drove to the police station, he thought back to what lead to this moment.

Selena had gone to sleep a few minutes before. It was 10:59 pm, less than a minute from the curfew he had established with Eragon as soon as he turned sixteen. He was never this late without a call or a text to explain why. Brom pulled his iPhone out of his pocket to check the time right as he received a call from the local police station. _Shit, boy. What have you gotten into?_ he thought as he answered halfway through the first ring. "Hello?" he answered with a shaky voice.

"Dad, it's me. I'm at Carvahall County Police Station-" was all Eragon could say before Brom lost it.

"I'm on my way," was Brom's only reply as he hung up. He was furious, but could he really be mad? He had done the same thing when he was seventeen.

He was snapped from his thoughts as he rolled up to the police station. As fast as he could, he steered into a parking spot and got out of the car. He briskly walked through the front doors, looking for a particular person. "Horst!" Brom called, as the man stepped out from his office. The hulking man approached and they shook hands.

"Brom? What can I do for you, old friend?" Horst asked. The two hadn't seen each other in over three months.

Lowering his voice, Brom stated "I need to call in that favor. Eragon got arrested."

Horst nodded, "I thought so. I still owe you for that, though." Brom merely nodded as both of them walked towards the cells. "Sloan arrested Eragon, so it will be a little complicated to get him off."

Great, Brom thought, knowing of Sloan's dedication to arrest as many people as he could. Sloan couldn't be blamed for it, as arrests provide more money for police officers, in a small town with a small police force. After his wife passed, this was Sloan's only way to provide for Katrina, his daughter.

The two men entered the lockup. Eragon was sitting on a metal bench, looking worried. Probably over his punishment from the police and Brom. The other cells were empty except for one other man.

Eragon noticed Brom right as Sloan appeared. "I got your page," was the first thing from Sloan's mouth. The small man had graying, black hair, a sign he was nearing retirement age.

Horst looked at Sloan and asked "why do you still use a pager? It's much easier to use a cell phone."

He was never one to change his habits. "It gets the job done" was all Sloan replied with.

Brom, not wanting to anger Sloan, remained quiet during the exchange. Horts spoke up again, in a more serious tone, "I need you to let Eragon go." Sloan glowered at Horst, venomously. "I am the captain here. It would be a mistake to disobey my orders."

Sloan stepped back and went to the computer and began typing. He was acting as if they weren't there. Horst use his key to unlock Eragon's cell. Eragon immediately stood up and approached the door as it began to swing open. Brom could tell he was half-relieved to be free of the law side of his punishment.

Eragon thanked Sloan and Horst. Sloan didn't acknowledge Eragon as Horst simply said "no problem" as he glanced at Brom, knowing why it wasn't a problem. The three reclaimed Eragon's stuff, then Brom and Eragon left. Brom was thinking about his punishment as they entered the car. He knew exactly what to do.

 **Eragon**

"I'm selling it" were the first words from Brom's mouth as the doors shut.

Eragon looked at Brom as if he just betrayed him. "What!?" was all he could manage.

The car turned out of the parking lot. "You heard me. You are to keep this from your mother or you will be in much worse trouble."

Eragon mumbled, just loud enough for his father to hear, "it can't get any worse." Brom just exhaled quickly.

"You can drive it until we sell it, but there will be no staying out after 6:00 pm and absolutely no street racing" was all Brom said. Eragon tried numerous attempts to convince Brom otherwise, but he didn't reply. "We will get the car tomorrow. We are going to meet your mother and Garrow for lunch and we can pick it up afterwards."

With that said, Brom pulled into the garage, closed the door, and went to sleep. It was fifteen 'til midnight. Eragon just walked to his room and fell asleep, not wanting to think about the following days.

Eragon woke up at 8:00 am on the dot. He stumbled to the shower to get ready and, as he opened the closet to grab clothes, he realized what happened last night. Immediately he wanted to take his anger out at something. He, instead, grabbed a pair of black Nike basketball shorts and a blue dri-fit t-shirt to go work out in. Eragon quickly changed and walked to the basement.

On his way, he turned on his Bose SoundSport headphones and turned on his workout playlist. Eragon wasn't huge, but, after spending a lot of time here, he developed a six pack and a toned upper body with the equivalent in his legs. He arrived and started his routine of stretching, then began to workout. When he finished, it was 10:32 am and he could barely walk. As he approached the stairs, he saw Brom walking down the stairs. Before Eragon could speak, Brom spoke first. "I'm sorry."

"So I can keep the car?" Eragon asked, hopeful.

"No, that decision is final. You don't want that life"

Why not? I loved it for the week that it lasted."

"Son, I lost a lot with that life. Things you can't get back."

Eragon just looked at him, expressionless. "I'm going to go get ready. What time are we leaving to meet mom and uncle Garrow?"

"Noon," Brom replied, moving to let Eragon go to his room.

"Will Roran be there?" Eragon called, hopeful to see his cousin.

"No, he is going on a date with Katrina," Brom answered, after learning that fact from Garrow. The conversation ended there as they went off different directions.

Eragon got ready, throwing on a t-shirt, gray Under Armour hoodie, and pair of dark jeans. It was 11:00 when got finished. With an hour to kill, he decided to watch tv to pass the time. Flipping through the channels, he found The Big Bang Theory reruns and settled with them, knowing they can be funny.

At 11:50, he turned the tv off and headed downstairs to look for his dad. He found him in the garage messing with engine tuning software on his computer. "Are you almost ready? We have around ten minutes."

"Yeah, just finishing up," Brom replied as he messed with a few more options and saving his work, seeming satisfied. Eragon walked towards the AMG as Brom called his name and tossed him the keys.

"Are you sure?" Eragon asked, having never driven his Mercedes before.

"One-hundred percent positive," replied his dad, walking over to the passenger side. Eragon unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat. He opened the garage door and started the engine. Wow, he thought as the engine roared to life. He changed the settings to use the flaps to shift. Eragon glanced over to see Brom looking at him knowingly. He shifted the car to first and started driving to the destination.

They pulled into the street at 12:25. While looking for a parking spot, they spotted Garrow talking with his mom. She recognized the sound of the engine and looked directly at them, smiling at the sight.

The squeal of tires drew his attention to the street. He saw a black Dodge Challenger turned aggressively onto their street in front of them, roll down their windows, pull out several handguns and fire at two lone individuals: his mom and Garrow. Both immediately fell to the ground as Eragon got out of the car with Brom and sprinted over to them. Eragon kept repeating "no, no, no…" as he approached his mom. He immediately tried to put pressure on the wounds, but there were too many. She whispered "I love you both. Don't mourn me…," as she went limp. Sirens were heard in the distance, but that didn't matter. All he could see was death at the loss of his mother and uncle, both of their eyes were unfocused. Tears started rolling down his cheeks at the realization.

 **A/N**

So, I wrote more than I originally planned. I doubled it so now I can get to more permanent characters and events in the plot. There are a lot of small details I'm not sure of and if you have any suggestions, they are more than welcome.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Funeral

**A/N**

So...another chapter, as promised. I've been working my way up in length. It's kind of a filler, with some minor progress. Being entirely honest, clothes aren't my thing. If someone wants to help with that, it will be much appreciated. I literally googled "funeral clothes" when nothing came up, then described an outfit I thought fit. I'm so helpless… anyways, without further ado...

Chapter 4

 **Eragon**

Everything he saw reminded him of that moment. A voice remotely similar to his mom, a mom talking with her child. Anything and he was reliving that moment. The gun's echo, the screams, the blood. The _horrible_ blood.

The funeral was planned two weeks exactly after the shooting and his car was in the process of being sold. His dad didn't budge on selling the car. His father was another matter. He couldn't blame him. How could it be his fault? If anyone was more messed up than Eragon afterwards, it was Brom.

They were both in grieving. Brom did everything except force Roran to move into their house. Whether it was to replace the hole made in the house or for Roran to have someone to talk to, Eragon didn't know. It did, after all, allow the three of them to distract themselves.

It was the day before the funeral when Brom called for dinner. It was 7:00 pm on the dot as they sat down. "I've done some thinking," his father began.

Eragon smirked and replied "I thought I saw some smoke coming out of your ears."

Roran and Brom laughed at the overused joke. Brom grew serious and said "Eragon, we are going to move." Eragon immediately began to protest as Brom silenced him with a look. "I've already arranged for a moving company to pick our stuff up during the funeral, and I've already signed a contract on a house."

Roran spoke up, saying "damn, you work fast."

Eragon could merely gape at his father, knowing he wasn't finished. Brom continued, "Roran, you can either live here or in your house, the choice is up to you. All I ask is that you let me know by the end of the service tomorrow." Roran nodded, deep in thought about his decision. "Eragon, you will be going to Varden High School, or VHS for short." Eragon was vaguely familiar with the school, having heard of it during his racing teacher research.

"So," Eragon spoke up, "why are we moving?"

"It's a complicated situation, but there are people I need to talk to and living by them for the time being will be very helpful. The current plan is for you to finish high school there." Eragon let it sink in as the three began to eat dinner, trying to bring his questions to the forefront. When nothing else came, he just sat silently and ate dinner until he retired to bed, not being in the mood to do anything else tonight.

As he woke, he realized what was happening today. He immediately became sad, but no tears came. He cried his last a few days ago, plus it wasn't the time to cry. It was the time to push on with life. He grabbed a black button up shirt and gray dress pants, with a slim, gray tie and black belt. The shirt was about a year old, which meant it was a little snug, but it was his only black shirt and he was set on wearing black.

The service began with visitation, as the siblings' closed caskets were side by side. As he saw them, he realized he actually had it good compared to Roran. Nineteen years old with no parents. _I can't even imagine what he's going through_ , Eragon thought as he saw Roran and Katrina huddled in the corner. Katrina was in a black dress, while Roran was in a traditional black suit with a white button up shirt. Moving to pay his respects, he swung wide to pat Roran on the shoulder for comfort, then walked to the caskets. He stared down at the closed caskets, expecting to cry, but tears didn't come. Lots of people came to the visitation. He didn't recognize majority of them. Brom recognized most and welcomed them, but he was more friendly to a few of them. One was a dark skinned man who was bald with a short moustache and beard that covered his chin. Another was a woman with black hair and green eyes, and a final was a man just taller than five feet tall whose face was grim, under his long, white beard.

Eragon saw Brom signal him over and he casually walked to the four. Just before he arrived, he saw three teenagers enter. Two of the three looked strikingly similar to the three currently conversing with Brom, with the third around the same height as the short man speaking with Brom. They were obviously related to the adults.

He was about to turn away when he one of the three met his eyes. She had long, raven black hair, emerald eyes, and an absolutely gorgeous face. She wore a black dress with green detailing, bringing her eyes out more. Her dress hung rather close to her petite form, that was curvy, but not overly curvy, leaving little to his imagination. She stared impassively at him and he felt himself blush. Looking away quickly, he walked to the group of adults right as the other teenagers arrived.

His dad spoke up first. "Eragon, I would like to introduce you to some old friends." As he introduced them, Eragon politely shook their hands. "This is Ajihad, this is Islanzadí, and this is Hrothgar." Brom gestured to the teenagers and added "I don't believe I have met these three."

A strong, confident voice spoke next. As he spoke, Eragon turned to look at Ajihad. He was gesturing towards a dark skinned teenager who had dark hair, with elaborate curls, and brown eyes. She stuck out her hand as they greeted each other warmly. "This is my daughter, Nasuada."

Hrothgar spoke next, saying "this is my foster son, Orik." Eragon shook his hand as he looked at Orik. He was around the same height as Hrothgar and, as a teenager, had a miraculous start to a beard.

Islanzadí spoke next with a smile, saying "and this is my daughter, as I'm sure you can tell, Arya." Eragon looked to lock eyes with Arya. He had spoken with beautiful girls before, but this was different. No words came to his mind and he stood there, dumbfounded. Brom nudged his shoulder as he realized Arya was sticking out her hand. As their hands met, he was struck by the scent of crushed pine needles. He shook his head and greeted the girl.

He stayed for a few more minutes. He politely answered questions and, every now and then, snuck glances at the beautiful teenager. While being oblivious during most glances, she caught him during others. After she caught him again, he decided to go check up on Roran and clear his head. He turned his head to see Roran making his way to the casket, Katrina by his side. Once the conversation died down again, he spoke up, saying "I'm going to check up on Roran. I think he's going to his father's casket now." The adults said their condolences.

He turned to leave, but a voice stopped him in his tracks. "May I go with you? I would like to pay my respects." Unsure if it was what she said or how she said it, he turned back to Arya and nodded, not trusting his voice. The two of them walked towards Roran and, as Roran saw them, gave Eragon a bear hug. It was obvious he was crying.

"Hooking up at a funeral?" Roran joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Completely caught off guard, he stuttered. Arya watched him, intrigued. "I...he...she…," then he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Her mom is a friend of my dad's. She wanted to pay her respects."

Roran smiled mischievously, adding "that's what I'd say too." Katrina smacked his arm. Katrina spoke up, attempting to change the subject. The four of them spoke of various, inconsequential topics. Roran and Eragon were attempting to avoid thinking about their, now passed, loved ones. Arya, Eragon noticed, managed to reveal very little about herself. She spoke formally, even when talking about personal topics. The only thing Eragon learned was that she goes to Varden High School. When she mentioned school, it reminded him of his school and a question came to mind. He voiced it, asking "what kind of car do you have?"

"I drive a 2017 Nissan GT-R, Nismo Edition," she replied nonchalantly.

Eragon's mouth dropped a fraction of an inch. That is a $170,000 car. "The all-wheel drive 3.8L V6 with 600 horsepower?" he asked, extremely curious.

Arya smirked at his knowledge and replied "the very same."

He had endless questions, but before he could say anything, Roran spoke up. "Katrina and I are going to step away while Eragon drools over your car," as both of them stepped away.

A question came to the front of his mind. "Did you drive it here?" Eragon inquired.

"I did, actually. I can't handle long car rides with my mother. Would you like to see it?"

Eragon hesitated. Of course he wanted to see it, but the funeral was starting at 11:30 am and it was 11:20. _I can make it quick_ , he thought. "If you don't mind. We'll have to make it quick, though, because the funeral starts in about ten minutes." She nodded and led him to her car. On the way, he quickly told his dad where he was going. Brom merely nodded and said "be sure to be back before the ceremony starts."

They walked side-by-side as they exited the building and Eragon saw the car. He wanted to run over to it, but didn't want to look stupid next to such a gorgeous girl. Plus she was driving a fucking _supercar_. The latter was a rare sight, let alone paired with the former. As they approached the car, she popped the hood to reveal the most amazing piece of metal he had ever seen. He spoke, not wanting to drool over the car in silence, "have you done anything custom to it? I see the supercharger is custom, which leads me to believe you might have done other things?"

She smiled at him, which almost made him collapse at her feet, and said "you know your engines. I haven't done a lot other than the supercharger, to be honest. I changed the exhaust, a few other things, and I have spent a lot of time tuning the car, but,for the most part, it's stock." Eragon whistled, impressed. They continued talking about the car when she stopped suddenly and stared at him, as if pondering something. Finally, she said "Do you want to go for a spin?" He almost jumped at the chance until he realized where he was and why he was here. His heart dropped and he checked the time. 11:29 was written rightly across his iPhone.

He muttered "shit," then spoke louder, "we have to go. The ceremony starts in less than a minute." She simply nodded, closed the hood and they began walking briskly back inside. Right before he turned to enter, he noticed a man with red hair and red eyes staring at them, but didn't think anything of it in his haste. As he entered, his dad entered the hallway, followed by Roran, Katrina, Ajihad, Islanzadí, Hrothgar, Nasuada, Orik, and a very long line of people. Eragon filed behind Brom and Arya filed behind Islanzadí. The crowd entered the room, everyone filing into their respective seating areas and the ceremony began.

 **A/N**

I'm planning on leaving the next part of the ceremony out and skip to the burial next. I understand CP's tough time writing Arya now. I can answer any questions about why I wrote specific characters how I did if you have any questions. As for their descriptions, I left them as close to the book as I could. Next chapter will have some actual progress, as this was a lot of fluff and a little bit of progress. I'm completely open to requests about story progress, POVs, character development, character relationships, whatever. Just shoot me a PM or Review. Anyways, R&R please.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Funeral Part 2

**A/N**

I finished early, so I decided to upload it early. I also chose this over a half-finished essay due tomorrow, so that'll be fun. I decided to introduce an Arya POV early to kind of get used to it. Anyways, R&R please.

Chapter 5

 **Arya**

Her V6 was just over idle as the line of cars moved to the graveyard. The funeral was huge, almost as big as her father's. _It was very similar_ , she thought, _too similar_. Her father taught her how to drive less than a month before when he was murdered by a very accurate drive by.

It was at her father's funeral that her mother forced her to have a couple of bodyguard. Fäolin was one of the two and she met him in a very similar fashion that she met Eragon. He was eighteen years old and drove a cherry red Aston Martin V12 Vantage, giving her a distraction from the sadness. It was a gorgeous car until-no. _This isn't the time nor the place_ , she told herself. _I'm just sick of funerals._

Snapping from her thoughts, she saw intersection upon intersection blocked by police, guiding them to the burial site. They pulled into the grim graveyard, with headstones and tombstones covering majority of the grass.d

As she parked her GT-R and got out, she looked around for possible exit routes. You never know when one is needed, especially with all of these people here. There were too many unknowns.

As she approached, she noticed the stereotypical bodyguards her mother took with her. They were scattered around in black suits and black sunglasses, each of them were looking around for something. Anything. She continued walking until she found herself looking at the two caskets. Beside her were her mother, Ajihad, Hrothgar, and their respective children. They all had sunglasses on, as the sun was in their eyes. Brom, Eragon, Eragon's cousin, and his cousin's girlfriend were the closest to the caskets. The latter two were crying, but the former two were just staring.

She watched as Eragon stepped forward, knelt before his mother's casket, and began moving his lips. Arya couldn't make out most of it, but she saw him say "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve this…."

She expect him to cry. After all, he was an average high school senior who barely knew what the word "loss" truly meant. He was, after all, innocent and naive when compared to her. But he never cried. He slowly rose and looked Arya in the eyes, his eyes filled with emotions, before dropping them and moving to stand by Brom. A man stepped beside the caskets and spoke some final words.

The family spoke during the ceremony, just before heading here. When asked, Eragon merely shook his head. Now, though, something changed in his demeanor as he turned around, then froze. Following his eyes, Arya saw a man with red hair and red eyes in the back, a half smirk plastered in his face as if he succeeded with some proud achievement. _Shit_. Arya nonchalantly got her mother's attention with a nudge and directed her attention to Eragon, then to the man. _Durza_.

Islanzadí spoke up, "we can talk about this later. Go make sure Eragon doesn't do something rash," then proceeded to tell the security to watch the man. Arya began walking towards Eragon before he walked off, stopping behind the crowd of people that gathered. As Arya walked by, she could tell the man speaking was closing his speech. She worked her way through the crowd to Eragon. She was about to reach him when the crowd began to disperse. The funeral was over.

When Arya arrived, Eragon spoke first, saying "I feel like there is a man involved in this." Arya merely looked at him, unsure of where he was going. He continued, "I don't know who is he or how he is involved, but this man with red hair and red eyes has popped up several times, starting the day before…" he stopped, unable to finish his original sentence. A moment later, he finished, "the shooting. I thought it was a coincidence, but now I'm sure he is involved. Who smiles at a funeral?"

By now, the graveyard was empty except for Brom, her mother, Eragon's cousin, his girlfriend, Ajihad, Hrothgar, Nasuada and Orik. Eragon's cousin and his girlfriend were in conversation, looking at his father's casket, while the others were off to the side, in a much deeper conversation.

Arya, attempting to change the subject, asked "so, what are you and Brom going to do now?"

Eragon responded, but still seemed deep in thought, with "we are moving. He said I would be attending Varden High School."

Without thinking, Arya spoke again, asking "if you get the address of your new house, we could ride together." She paused for a second, then added, as extra incentive, "you could even drive for a bit if you want." _Why did I just say that?_ She berated herself. Most of her wanted him to decline, but part of her, a part that hasn't existed in a long time, wanted him to accept.

"I'd love to, but I'll have to ask my dad first. He might want some company after...today," Eragon answered.

"I understand," keeping her voice and face emotionless, she replied with a mixture of happiness and disappointment. _What is wrong with me? This is my third conversation with him._

Arya saw Brom signal them over. Her mother, not giving her any signal, must have gotten an all clear from her men and women. As they arrived by the six men and women, Brom spoke, saying "I guess it's time to hit the road, we've got a ways to go."

Eragon nodded, then said "Arya said I could ride with her, and I was wondering if I could." Islanzadí immediately gave Arya a look that said "we're talking about this later, young lady."

Brom considered it for a moment before deciding. When he spoke, he said "no, there are some things we need to discuss that can't wait until we get there. Plus, it will be easier to explain in person." Eragon nodded again.

After this conversation, everyone started to leave. Arya was about to leave too, when Eragon spoke to her again "may I have your phone number? Then you could show me around or something."

Arya turned, fully facing him. "Yeah, hand me your phone," she agreed. Eragon watched her as she put three numbers in: her own, Orik's, and Nasuada's. When she finished, she added "there ya go. See you then, Eragon."

He responded with "can't wait to see you again," flushed heavily, then walked away. Arya, confused, just walked away.

When she got into her car, she asked herself _what was that? 'Can't wait to see you again.' He must be confused with the funeral_...she trailed off, started her car, then drove off, refusing to think about it anymore. To her disappointment, however, thoughts of Fäolin filled her brain.

 **Eragon**

As soon as the words came out, he regretted not thinking before he spoke. _It's gotta be emotions from today getting to me_ , he falsely justified. Despite his justification, he couldn't get Arya out of the back of his mind.

By then, everyone who as gone except for him, Brom Roran, Katrina, and an extremely patient limo driver. The four of them decided it was time to go, getting back into the limousine to get their vehicles from the funeral home.

The ride was mostly quiet, with conversations only to distract them from the day. Once they arrived at their vehicles, Roran spoke up. "I've decided that I won't stay in your home, Brom, but that you for the offer." Brom merely nodded, understanding.

After that, an awkward silence fell over the four before his father realized it was time for goodbyes. "We better leave. I need to get to work on some things as soon as possible." Brom reached forward, shaking Roran's hand, as Katrina pulled Eragon into a hug.

She whispered into his ear, "I hope you find someone there. Someone who you can talk to about what has happened recently," then she backed away and spoke aloud, "Arya was pretty. Plus she's into cars, that's a rare combo." Eragon felt his face flush. He attempted to cover it by switching with Brom to talk to Roran when Roran pulled Eragon into a bear hug as he spoke, so all four could hear, "we all saw you gawking at her and her car," they drew back. "Don't even try to hide it."

Attempting to change the subject, Eragon asked "hey dad, can I drive?" As Roran and Katrina gave him knowing looks.

Brom tossed him the keys. "Yeah, let's hit the road. See you guys, good luck with everything." With that, they drove off to enter a whole new world. And Eragon was completely unprepared.

 **A/N**

Asnari-I plan on finishing it. When summer break rolls around, I'd like to say I'll update 3-4 times a week, but my schedule gets sporadic in the summer. Thanks for the review.

At the end of the Arya POV, I wrote it and rewrote it probably 20 times and I'm still not content with it. It doesn't fit her, but, at the same time, I wanted to get a "what just happened?" kind of reaction. I'm loosely(very loosely) keeping up with the books. If you have any characterization problems with what I wrote, don't be afraid to contact me somehow. I'll at least consider changing it.


	7. Chapter 6 - The Arrival

**A/N**

I won't always be able to post early, but I will when I can. I realized that I forgot about Orrin...I will probably improvise him and Surda into the background. This chapter will be a lot of plot development. As of writing this A/N, I'm still not sure of a lot of details, so let's see how it goes. As for Brom and Eragon not thinking about the funeral or Selena's death, I thought Brom would realize his priorities and focus on them, while Eragon will be...distracted to say the least without spoiling the plot development. Anyways, R&R(I say anyways a lot on these)

 **Chapter 6**

 **Eragon**

Eragon caught the keys, shocked Brom was letting him drive. It hadn't sunk in until the butterfly doors latched. The sound of the engine starting filled his ears. He immediately grinned. His grin fell as he saw his father's face grow serious. His dad spoke, saying "we need to talk. It's long overdue." Eragon nodded, unsure of where the conversation was headed. Before his father began speaking again, he plotted a route on the car's built-in gps, setting a custom route.

"Why aren't we just taking the highway? It will be a lot faster?" Eragon asked, confused about the route.

"That will he explained too," Brom replied, finishing up with the route after over a minute. "Go whenever you're ready," his father kindly told him. Eragon merely nodded and started driving, following the directions. "Before I begin, please hold your questions until the end. It will make things a lot easier." Eragon agreed, realizing the seriousness of his father, then Brom continued. "The plan is to drive to our new house over the course of a week. I have packed camping supplies in the trunk. The reasons for taking so long is to prepare you for what is to come, to remain off the radar for some time, and to explain the situation." Eragon was very curious by this point, less focused on driving and more on his father. "As for the last reason, this is a long story, beginning a long time ago. When I began my professional career racing cars, I was assigned a one-person pit crew, called a dragon. It sounds stupid, I know, but these dragons were insanely fast at their jobs. Many drivers became so attached to their dragons that they could practically become one while racing. This close connection to another had a flaw, however. This flaw was that, if a driver or dragon died, their partner would fall to grief, becoming a completely different person. One person who did this was Galbatorix. He and his dragon, Jarnunvösk, quickly rose to the top. Galbatorix, however, became arrogant with his abilities. The pair went to an illegal street race, which was hosted by a gang called Urgals. Upon seeing their defeat at the end of the race, the Urgals murdered Jarnunvösk. Galbatorix fled, grief overwhelming him. He came to Ilirea Racing Corporation(IRC), now known as Urû'baen Racing Corporation(URC), and begged to be let back into racing and to be given another dragon. Seeing his instability, the board denied him, claiming he would harm others during the race in his instability. He fell of the radar and, during his absence, convinced a young, aspiring dragon, called Shruikan, to become his new dragon. Galbatorix also managed to convince thirteen other drivers, with their dragons, to join him in attempting to take over the IRC. And, obviously, they succeeded. Once securing their power, through murders, court battles, bribes, and many other terrible actions, they branched out. Wanting more money and power, they invested their new corporation, URC, in illegal activities all across the globe. Their major investments are drugs and human trafficking, but they are involved in murders regularly. They have also bribed every political figure across the globe, with their, somehow, unlimited funds. Upon realizing this, people are united in Varden City, Weldenvarden, and Beor. Surda is also part of it, but they were founded after I retired. While being technically divided, the four organizations work cooperatively to turn the URC back into the IRC. The leaders are the adults who you met earlier today." Brom finished with "do you have any questions?"

Eragon immediately replied with "yeah. How are you involved in this?"

Brom stared at the dash, then replied, saying "one of the thirteen, Morzan, killed my dragon."

After an awkward silence, Eragon didn't know what to say or do, so he just asked another question. "Is mom's...death related to this?"

His father continued to stare at the dash before answering. The answer only confirmed his suspicions. "Yes." He slammed his fist into his leg and said, in a shockingly emotional voice, "I should have been more prepared!"

"Dad, it's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done," Eragon replied. He wasn't going to push the closest person to him away because of a mistake, if it could be called that.

Brom, wanting to change the subject, asked "do you have any other questions?"

"Just one more. Why do I have to be trained? Why can't you do it?"

Brom smiled and looked at Eragon. "Son, I'm old. My reflexes aren't what they once were. You have to be trained for two reasons. One, I've seen your ability to grasp car knowledge and it's better than how quickly I learned, and, two, if you could develop your skills to be what mine were, if not better, you can take Galbatorix down. Before you, I devoted my life to taking down the thirteen forsworn, as they were called, but I lost my dragon. Dragons and racers must perfectly match to be effective and nobody has found a second dragon to be paired with."

Eragon smiled, and said "I know I said I just had one question, but that brings up more. How many dragons are left? How do you know I will be paired with one even if there is one left?"

"For the second question, we don't. But for the first, we have discovered one of three dragons that Galbatorix was originally trying to pair with someone. You will meet her and see if you can pair with her." As Brom finished, Eragon nodded.

"Wow, life just got a lot more complicated," Eragon murmured to himself, but his father heard.

"No, you are just less ignorant of it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say," his dad answered. "So, about your training. Eli told me…" Eragon interrupted.

"Wait, you know Eli?"

"Yes, I asked him to train you. I've known him for a while and knew of his...habits." Eragon was shocked as Brom continued. "Eli told me that you mastered one type of drift in a week. That is impressive. We, however, are going to teach you more than just one drift. You will need to learn how to do a variety of skills, including heel-toe Shifting, how to find a driving line, every other drift, and much more. We won't have time to do all of it, but, for now, we will start with heel-toe Shifting. So, begin with…" Brom began talking him through various techniques.

This lasted for days, with Brom talking and, occasionally, switching seats to demonstrate how to do something. They covered everything from steering to weight transfers to rev matching. Occasionally, when there was an abandoned street, they would practice various drifts for hours on end. At this slow pace, six days passed. Eragon lost his previous soreness in his calves and arms from constantly pushing pedals, shifting, and spinning the wheel.

As they woke on the morning of the seventh day, Brom woke Eragon up, saying "good morning. Today, we will take it easy, then drive to our new home in the afternoon." His dad told him earlier in the week that he asked a friend to close on the house for them.

Eragon pushed himself off his sleeping bag. His dad refused to take them into hotels in case they had cameras. "The risk is too great," he said after Eragon practically begged.

"Good morning, dad," was all Eragon said. He was too drained from constant work to say any more, despite sleeping in the most all week this morning. They went through the motions before his dad called the practice to a close early. "There are some things we need to talk about," was all he said as they packed up their stuff, packing everything they could into the small trunk of the red SLR. They were currently on an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Forests surrounded everything, making Eragon curious about what the original reason for the parking lot was. He wasn't complaining, though. It was more than big enough to practice various drifts. He hadn't mastered all of them, but he could do each of them with varying degrees of success. His dad said he "did more than I thought possible" in the week they had to work with.

Snapping out of his thoughts about the previous week, Brom began talking. "You will have to go to school, but everyone in Varden, Weldenvarden, Surda, and majority from Beor will understand your importance. Because of this, you won't have to focus as much on school and will be able to train more. You are at the end of the training that I can provide you with. There are people where we are going that can train you to your fullest potential." After this, Brom had Eragon memorize various important people he will meet. He told brief descriptions of their roles and their titles. Politics, Eragon thought as the morning began its transition into afternoon. "One last thing. We need to get you a car. Finding the perfect car for your style of racing will be a huge benefit to you." Eragon thought excitedly. _I'll have a car again,_ he thought, excited. "Alright, we have another thirty minute drive before we get there. I'll drive he last leg, you deserve a break," his father concluded.

They got in the car and drove. Eragon had fallen asleep immediately. They were fifteen minutes out when the impossible happened. A black 1996 Porsche T-boned the SLR in the driver's side. Eragon awoke upon the collision, but got knocked out when his head slammed into the airbag.

He awoke confused, but vaguely remembered what happened. He jerked at the memory and looked for his father. The black leather seat was empty, but had blood all over it. Shit. He didn't know what to do when he suddenly thought of Arya. Attempting to use his right arm, he cried out in pain. It was broken, there was no other explanation. He dialed her number, using only his left hand. She picked up after several rings. Before she could say "hello," Eragon immediately began telling her what happened. He texted her his location. The only words she said during the entire call were "I'm on my way," then hung up. Eragon began examining his situation. All he could see was the hood and rear bumper were caught by two trees. The car was shaped like a parenthese. He attempted to open the door with his left arm when a sharp pain was felt in his chest, then he lost consciousness.

He awoke in a hospital. Everything hurt like hell. He looked around to see that Arya was asleep in the corner. She was sitting in a chair, her head propped up on her right arm. She was wearing yoga pants and a baggy hoodie. He was confused until he realized he probably called her while she was relaxing on an average Saturday afternoon. _She looks absolutely gorgeous,_ Eragon thought while staring rather creepily at her.

Everything came back to him in an instant. Before he could stop himself, he yelled "Dad!" Arya immediately jerked awake, looking empathetically at him. It was a completely different reaction compared to her reaction at the funeral.

She slowly stood and walked beside him. "Eragon, there's something you should know," Arya began, her voice filled with emotion.

"Where's my dad? He wasn't in the car when I woke and his seat was filled with blood."

She didn't know how to say what she had to. These were words she didn't want to say to someone, especially to someone as innocent as Eragon. At least, as innocent as Eragon was before this moment. "I'm sorry, Eragon. The collision killed your dad upon impact." Eragon's eyes widened. He felt crushed, but no tears came. The last of those were shed three weeks ago when watching his mother die in front of him.

All he could say was "I never even got to say goodbye."

 **Arya**

When she fell asleep in the hospital, she dreamed of what led to this moment.

She arrived at the scene fifteen minutes exactly after he called. It took her five minutes to get help, then ten minutes to fly down the streets to his location as she called 911. Her heart sank upon seeing it. A black 1996 Porsche 911 was on the other side of the road, hood smashed in several feet, while the red SLR was bent between two trees. The sight of Eragon slumped in the passenger seat didn't calm her. She felt a strange feeling in her chest, one she hadn't felt in a long time. She pushed her thoughts away and focused on the take at hand.

She didn't have the medical equipment to help him, so she resorted to reciting everything to the 911 operator. She told Orik, Nasuada, and Saphira to look for Brom. They nodded and immediately went to work. Arya carefully opened the door. She began describing his broken arm, possible broken ribs, and any other injuries she saw on him. Sirens were heard in the distance as she heard Saphira's voice.

"I found Brom! Arya, he needs medical attention!" She yelled. When she arrived, Brom just finished telling Saphira something, then Saphira replied with "I will." Saphira pocketed her phone. Arya stepped on a branch, causing Saphira to jerk, blonde hair flying. Saphira's sapphire blue eyes stared at her, worried. _Whatever Brom told Saphira can wait,_ she thought as she began examining Brom. She saw a stab wound in his stomach and his entire left side was fractured. She'd never seen anything like this wreck. _This was no accident,_ was all she thought as she realized he wasn't going to make it.

"I'm sorry Brom. There's no way we can save you," Arya said, wishing there was a way to save her old friend and the father to Eragon- _wait, what does his relation to Eragon have to do with anything?_ She asked herself. Saphira held his right hand. Nasuada approached from the direction of the wreck. The ambulance could be seen approaching.

Brom spoke weakly, saying "it's okay. Make sure Eragon knows that I love him an-" he went into a coughing fit. Blood was starting to appear on the outside of his mouth. "And tell him to live life to its potential. Thank you for coming. All of you." With that said, Brom slowly succumbed to his injuries. By then, Orik arrived and noticed what was happening. All of them realized what this means and looked at each other with grave looks on their faces, then returned to watching the man die.

After several moments, Arya made up her mind. "I will ride with Eragon. When he wakes up, he needs a friendly face to explain what has happened," the other three acknowledged her as she began walking back to Eragon, who was now being loaded into one of the ambulances.

"Ma'am," a police officer walked over to Arya, "we need your statement."

Worried the ambulances might leave without her, she replied "sir, I will answer all of the questions you have later, but I wasn't there." As she said this, Nasuada was calling the other paramedics over to attempt to help Brom. They all knew it was futile. Arya continued, "all I did was answer a call from the boy in the ambulance." The paramedics began closing doors on the ambulance. Arya spoke up, ignoring the officer, "wait, may I go with you?" The paramedics looked to the officer, and he nodded, resulting in the paramedics nodding. She climbed into the ambulance and started dreading the conversation to come.

She awoke to the yell. "Brom!" As soon as the name came from his mouth, she knew it would be a difficult conversation.

Words poured from Arya's mouth. "We got there fifteen minutes after you called. It was me, Orik, Nasuada, and Saphira; they are in the waiting room now, because we could only convince the doctors to allow one person in here. I arrived, telling the 911 operator your condition. When Saphira found Brom…" she faltered, not wanting to say it.

Eragon waited silently, already knowing the truth. "My dad is dead, isn't he?" He asked as his brown eyes stared into hers, seemingly deciphering the puzzle in her eyes.

"Yes," was all she managed. _He_ was _innocent. But life had other plans,_ she thought morbidly. It was at that moment that she realized the emotional side of the phrase "the good die young."

As they stared at each other, it looked like Eragon was completely broken inside. She felt an overpowering urge to hug him, which she complied to, justifying it with the thought _he just lost both parents in less than a month. Any sane person would hug him._ She cautiously wrapped her arms around his torso, careful to avoid and injuries. His left arm, the unbroken one, slowly wrapped around her. It felt so electrifying to her that she questioned if she stayed there for him or for her. _It can't be for me. That isn't me anymore,_ she justified.

After around thirty seconds, a knock at the door broke them up. Nasuada, Orik, and Saphira entered, with a doctor tailing. Saphira was looking at her, the look asking "what was that?," and Arya just ignored it.

The doctor spoke first. "Mr. Miles, do you know where you are?"

"A hospital." The doctor barraged him with questions that he half-heartedly answered, distracted with the most recent loss of his father. His one constant in his life. His last constant in his life, as everything in his life changed. Arya watched him, only understanding half of what he went through, and tried to decipher why she really hugged him. She wasn't a hugging person.

The doctor spoke a final question: "do you have someone to stay with? You will need help getting around for the next week or two."

"You can stay with me," Arya said. _I'll explain it to mother later. She won't turn him down, especially since he is Brom's son._

Eragon protested. "No, no, I couldn't do that to you. Dad bought a house before we moved here, I can stay there."

The doctor defended Arya, saying "you have multiple broken ribs, a broken arm, and a mild concussion. I cannot allow you to stay by yourself."

Eragon nodded, accepting the inevitable. He mumbled "and I thought moving would be the hardest part."

 **A/N**

I was going to stop it before the hospital scene in Arya's POV, but I couldn't stop and figured you wouldn't complain with a bit more in the chapter. I'd like to do a mix of street racing and maybe some guns, but I'm not sure how to implement the gun side, so that will remain iffy. Any ideas? I know a lot about cars and guns. Plus I think it would add some more interesting action scenes. Anyways, just my thoughts while writing. Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think.

Mad Hatter-Yeah, I've had to keep that on the back of my mind. I'd like to think I didn't steal too much. Saphira's car is the only real thing I stole and that was because my brother is really into the R8's and talks my ear off about them.

Asnari-I might do an Arya POV every chapter(or at least majority). It depends on what happens in the chapters mainly.

I'll probably do progress updates on my bio as I work on chapters. I've seen a couple of people do that and it informs the readers while not spamming the story followers of a false update.


	8. Chapter 7 - New Home

**A/N**

I describe a house later on. Use this for an example of the interior/exterior: https//residential/2765636#p3 (I googled mansion for sale and found one I liked decently well). Look through that link after I talk about a black BMW M6. This is also the first description of Arya eating and I decided to not make her vegetarian. She doesn't know what it feels like to be with a conscious as it dies in this, so I couldn't find a reason to keep that in her character. So, I'm thinking about adding a small amount of "magic" mainly to heal, just because I think it would be interesting since modern AU's don't have magic. Idk, it's up to you if you guys think it's a good idea. Also, I had two big hesitations with this chapter, both at the end. I'll explain why I made those two decisions at the end. You'll know them when you read them. Without anymore rambling, RR please!

 **Chapter 7**

 **Arya**

It was a struggle for him, walking to the GT-R. She stayed with Eragon the day after the accident, Sunday, and that following Monday, thanks to her mother's pull on the school board. Her mother got her out all week, too, saying Arya should help him adjust since he knew her the best of everyone in Varden City. During those two days, they slowly warmed up to each other. They became friends rather than acquaintances, but she often berated herself after saying things that were too emotionally driven.

The doctor refused to allow Eragon to leave unless he stayed with someone. Luckily, her mother offered for him to stay at their house before Arya could ask for permission.

She was under his left arm, supporting as much of his weight as she could. "C'mon Eragon, man up!" she joked as they stepped off the curb, causing him to wince. Despite her jab, he was doing surprising well, especially considering this was the first time he has walked in two days.

He only gave her a joking look and said "why don't we swap bodies for a few days?"

She laughed as a reply came to her mind. "You would like that, wouldn't you?" But as the words left her mouth, she yelled at herself in her head. She became emotionless again.

They were only a couple of feet from her car. He had formulated his reply, saying "yeah, there are a few benefits. The biggest being the lack of broken ribs, with a secondary being a gor-" he caught himself, then looked at her, hoping she didn't notice his slip up. He must have realized she had her mask on, because his face fell slightly as she helped him lower into the car.

She was too focused on her thoughts to notice his words. _The last time I joked like that was with Fäolin. Why is he of all people bringing this out of me? That isn't me anymore, is it?_ she asked herself. Her previous sureness of herself had slipped slightly over the past two days. She stepped into the car and began driving to her house.

She was snapped from her thoughts as Eragon spoke. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"No thanks," was all she replied with, not wishing to talk about Fäolin.

"Trust me when I say another outlook can help."

She looked at him, unsure if she should tell him. _I've never confided in anyone before and I've been okay,_ one voice argued, bringing up a great point. Another rebutted with _and how has that benefited me in the past?_ The war raged in her mind. They were fifteen minutes from her house. _Why not?_ the latter voice said, deciding her decision.

"I've never been a social person. When my dad died, it didn't help. I closed off to everyone, refusing to speak about any sort of feelings. Then, at his funeral, along came Fäolin. My mother forced a bodyguard on me and he is who was chosen. He graduated the May before my dad died. I was sixteen at the time and my world crashed down on top of itself. But then there was Fäolin. I hated him at first. My mother forced me to have him protect me. But we grew close. Very close. He was the only person I've ever opened up to…" _no longer the only,_ she thought "...and then, one afternoon, we were walking back to the car when a black, 1996 Porsche 911 screeched by, sending bullets directly towards us. Doing his job, he tackled me to the ground." She stopped, the next words were nearly impossible to speak. Suddenly, a hand was on hers, which was resting on the armrest. She looked to see Eragon's warm, brown, empathetic eyes staring at her. She gave him a sad half-smile before looking back to the road. "He took five .45 rounds to the back, all hitting non-vital organs. He bled out in my arms." She moved her hand under the guise to shift up.

Eragon seemed oblivious as he said "I'm so sorry, Arya."

Arya shook her head. _Why not?_ she argued with herself again, _because now he feels sorry for me. People aren't supposed to feel sorry for me._

She turned the radio on, to distract herself from her thoughts, as the song Heavy by Linkin Park came on.

 _I'm holding on_

 _Why is everything so heavy?_

 _Holding on_

 _So much more than I can carry_

She turned it off immediately. Eragon looked at her, a sad look in his eyes. Arya saw him in her peripheral vision, but didn't acknowledge him. _Shouldn't she be the one feeling sorry for him?_ she thought, thinking of the losses he's been through. _He's more concerned about me than himself right now._ They sat in silence until she turned into her driveway as Eragon stared in awe of the house, a massive gate with an elegant D blocking the path. Arya stopped in front of the gate and entered the code.

As the gate opened, Eragon whistled, obviously impressed. "That is a house," he commented.

Arya smiled, having heard that statement many times before. Arya opened the garage door and parked the car beside a variety of cars, ranging from a bright yellow Lamborghini Huracan to a blacked out BMW M6. Eragon spoke again, "I'm not sure if I'm more impressed with the cars or the house. I'm leaning for the cars, being a long-time grease monkey myself."

 **Eragon**

Arya smiled at him making fun of himself. "Follow me, Eragon. Let me show you around," Arya said. Tearing his eyes from the cars, Eragon followed Arya. Entirely focused on keeping his eyes off her tight fitting jeans, he examined the house. There were exquisite pictures and paintings of Arya's entire family, consisting of her, Arya's mother, a man who he assumed was Arya's father, and a twenty-ish year old he didn't recognize. His arm or arms were wrapped around Arya in some of the pictures. A strange feeling of _...jealousy? What am I jealous of?_ he thought.

Gesturing to the young man, Eragon asked "who is he?"

Arya, when seeing who he asked about, started talking about the various rooms. "This is my mother's bedroom, here's the kitchen…" she went on, explain the various rooms. They eventually went upstairs. "This is my room," she said, pointing to the first room up the stairs, "and this will be yours," she continued, gesturing to the second room.

Eragon nodded. "May I go into my room? I'd like to get situated."

When Arya replied, she seemed distracted. "Yeah, go ahead."

He entered, seeing a massive room with an elegant design that unified the crown molding, walls, bed sheets, and the furniture. _How did they make all of this match?_ he thought, impressed with the unity. Arya entered behind him. "That was Fäolin in the pictures," was all she whispered as she retreated into her room. Realization struck him immediately. _Oh no. What have I brought up?_ he thought, as he deciphered Arya's reaction. _Do I apologize?_ He heard a loud grumble from his stomach, making his decision for him. He pushed his door back open and walked to her room, instinctively knocking with his right arm. As soon as it made impact, he winced. _How do you forget about a cast?_ he asked himself as his arm began to throb, but then the door opened.

As soon as he saw her glassy, emerald eyes, the pain vanished. "Umm…" he stuttered, caught off guard. The realization hit him at that moment: _she is the one._

 **Arya**

Tears starting to form in her eyes. _Why am I feeling? If anyone else asks, I don't say a word, but with him…_ she lost her train of thought as a knock on the door distracted her. She sighed and walked to the door, opening it to see a wincing Eragon. "Umm...I'd like to apologize for asking about…him. I didn't make the connection."

Arya replied with, "it's alright, you didn't know."

Eragon didn't move, so he still wanted to talk about something. "I was wondering if I could throw something together downstairs. For dinner."

"For both of us?" Arya asked, shocked about his possible ability to cook.

"Yeah." He must have noticed her confusion, because he continued. "My parents used to go out of town a lot, so I taught myself to cook a few years ago."

"Let me get into something more comfortable, then I'll be down," as she shut the door. _He cooks?_ the thought still sinking in as she put her loose t-shirt and sweatpants on. When she got downstairs, she found him looking around, confused. "You know, this house isn't THAT big," as she said it, he looked at her and a shocked look enveloped his face before he hid the look with a smile "the kitchen is over here." She led him to the kitchen, showed him where various ingredients were. Arya watched, intrigued.

Without looking up, Eragon spoke. "Are you checking me out?" She knew he was joking from his tone.

"No, I just want to make sure you don't kill me with whatever concoction you give me."

He looked up this time, grinning from ear to ear, then went back to work. Arya had to admit, it was entertaining to watch him single handedly(literally) make dinner from scratch. Occasionally, he would reach with his right hand, bump it on something, then immediately regret it. He would sneak a look back to her almost every time he did to see if she saw. And she saw every one. It was almost 20 minutes later when he bumped it particularly hard when turning his attention back to the pan. He let out a long "fffffffff-" noise before cutting off his curse, which caused her to giggle. It was funny watching him repeatedly try to use his broken arm. She saw his cheeks redden, despite the fact that he was focusing on making dinner, so she bit her bottom lip to stifle the laugh. As she did, he turned around, a pan of fettuccine alfredo in hand, and said "it's - ready" he stuttered, looking at her biting her bottom lip. His face still had some red in it, which caused her heart to flutter. _What was that?_ she thought as she broke eye contact, disguising it by grabbing plates and silverware. She divided the items among them, including the food. They left enough for her mother in the refrigerator.

They sat at a dining table for six, and Arya immediately started to take a bite when she noticed Eragon was just watching her and stopped the fork before her mouth. "What?" she asked, curious.

"I want to see your reaction to my professional chef skills."

She became cautious after he said this, only taking the bite of half a noodle. Before she bit into it, she knew it would be amazing from the scent, and Eragon was smiling knowingly at her. When the flavor hit her mouth, she smiled from her reluctance to show him how she felt about his, rather amazing, food.

He smiled at her reaction, then jokingly said "how soon should I join Top Chef?"

"You shouldn't, this is the worst food I've ever eaten," she said in-between bites. After she said this, she received text and checked her phone.

 **Mother** : Backed up at work. Will be home around 11-11:30pm

 **Arya** : Okay, we left some food in the refrigerator for you

 **Mother** : Thank you. Before I go, do you think Eragon should stay with us longer? Living by yourself at seventeen years old is no easy task

 **Arya** : I think the extra company would be nice

 **Mother** : Extra company? Since when have you wanted more company?

Arya didn't reply, only speculating about her mother noticing a change in behavior. _I've never even had a sleepover. What ha_ -she made the connection as she took another bite. She watched him, intrigued by her reaction to him. _I have feelings for him, but what about Fäolin? Do I forget about him, because I can't do that?_ Eragon noticed her staring at him. "What?" he asked.

She half-lied. "It's something my mom texted me about. Do…" _how do you ask this?_ "...you want to stay with us through the end of the school year? It would make things easier for you." She added more, unknowingly attempting to convince him to stay, "plus, I won't have to suffer my mother by myself for an entire school year."

Eragon took the polite reply, saying "I'll think about it. I don't want to intrude on you guys."

She held up her phone, saying "it was my mother's idea. You won't intrude on us, it's just the two of us every day. C'mon." _Wait, I didn't even do this with Fäolin._

Eragon sighed and gave in. "Alright, but I'll need to grab some things from my house, like clothes. I can make do tonight, but tomorrow I'll have to get the key to the house from…" he hesitated. "The glove box." Arya immediately knew he was talking about his dad's car. He hasn't seen it since the wreck. _This will be hard on him,_ she thought, hating that he went through so much loss at such a young age.

Arya decided to change the topic, beginning a conversation that lasted for hours. Finally, Eragon decided to put the dishes up. As he walked around to get Arya's, his socks slipped, sending him lunging forward, plate clattering in the floor, miraculously unbroken.

Arya found herself inches from him, his broken arm on the back of her chair while his left was gripping the table to support his weight. They looked at each other, both unsure about what to do. Arya did what she usually does when she is unsure and went with her gut. She closed her eyes and leaned in, hesitating millimeters away from Eragon's lips, not wanting to force him into this. He hesitated for a moment, then he pressed his lips into hers. Arya felt Eragon's left hand wrap around the back of her neck, then she wrapped her arms around his neck. She brushed her tongue against his lower lip, requesting access. He opened immediately, just as a door shut.

Arya immediately broke away and yelled "hey mom, we're in the dining room!" As she spoke, she stared at Eragon, his face completely flushed. She imagined hers looked the exact same.

Arya and Eragon began picking up the plates he'd dropped, cleaning it up as her mother walked in with a steaming plate of food. _Is she...smiling?_ Eragon left with the plates as her mother sat down. Islanzadí took a bite of her fettuccine, then looked at it, surprised by the taste.

 **Islanzadí**

She walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb her daughter and Eragon sleeping. The lights were on, so she pulled out a Px4 Storm and began working her way to the dining room. She saw Arya and Eragon kissing. She began to quietly walk back to the door, smiling. _Maybe he can get her to move on from Fäolin,_ she thought. She shut the door hard, almost slamming it, then she heard Arya yell "hey mom, we're in the dining room!"

 **A/N**

I know you're asking two questions. Why did ExA kiss this early and why is Islanzadi okay with it. I'll start with the latter question. I view Islanzadí as an emotionally disconnected mother who wants what's best for her daughter. Also, Eragon isn't a rider(well, driver) in this yet, so they aren't relying on him as much at the moment. I also think that Arya doesn't have the whole "I can't have a relationship because responsibilities" mentality, being a teenager. If you disagree and/or think I should change it, I will. Those were just my thoughts on the situation and will be more than happy to wait on ExA stuff if you all think that's how it should be. As for the ending, I know it was abrupt, but I wanted to do a timeskip next, skipping a bunch of fluff.

Also, I've noticed that I tend to keep things like clothes, hairstyles, etc. vague. My original plan was to keep it up to you to imagine that on your own, but if you want I can change it and write specifically what they are wearing.


	9. Chapter 8 - Dinner

**A/N**

A lot more fluff, I know. I'm trying to get into more interesting content, but at the same time I feel obligated to build off of what I started or I will regret it later. I won't take up anymore time here, so R&R please.

 **Chapter 8**

 **Eragon**

After the kiss, Arya seemed more open around him. Neither of them officially said anything about a relationship, but what they had was definitely more than a friendship. The rest of the week passed quickly, which might be a result of Arya's openness. His arm slowly became usable and the soreness in his chest became dulled, but still noticeable if he overextended. Eragon went into the gym as soon as he could to start doing very light exercises to strengthen the muscle again. He was careful to avoid damaging the bone, in case if wasn't fully healed. He also had some scruff, a trait he got from his dad, from not having a razor for a week. It wasn't spectacular, but he was content with it, being only seventeen. Police had come by, asking him a number of questions, then left.

It was Sunday afternoon and he was closing on the last of his 10 kilometer run. He was ignoring the extra weight on his arm, from the cast, as he thought back to the second most important part of the week, after the kiss with Arya.

 _The GT-R pulled into the salvage yard. Eragon saw the SLR immediately and began fighting the flashbacks. He walked over to the manager as Arya parked the car, showing his ID and explaining that he was there to get the house key._

 _Arya was waiting by the SLR as he arrived. He leaned in and reached for the glovebox when a familiar sight stopped him. There was still blood in the driver's seat._ Dad's blood, _he thought. He shook his head, then grabbed the key from the glovebox. It was on a keychain with a ring. It looked like a class ring from high school, with a sapphire in the top and a strange symbol on it. It has to be dad's, he thought as he put it on his left ring finger, due to the cast blocking his right hand's fingers. Eragon turned around, nodded to Arya, and the two of them left without a word._

 _HOOOOOOONNK!_ blared a horn over his music, shaking him from his thoughts. He turned to see Arya in her GT-R, smiling at him. "Time: 42 minutes, 34 seconds," came through his earbuds, indicating he finished his 10k. He pulled his headphones out and walked to her passenger side door, leaning in.

Eragon smirked as he spoke in-between breaths. "You are a very beautiful young woman to be driving around this part of town all by yourself."

Arya scarcely blushed at his compliment and unlocked the doors. "Just get in. And don't smash the bread!" Eragon looked at her lips, wanting to kiss her. It was an urge he felt a lot since the initial kiss. She noticed he was looking at her lips and she looked back to the road. She bit her lip, which only made her look all the more attractive. "How was your run?" Arya asked, eyes still on the road.

"It was fine. The cast made it an adjustment, but no other issues. How was your run to the store?" He asked, trying to understand her plan.

"Oh, I'm so winning this bet. If you can make a meal out of what I got, you definitely need to get on Top Chef," she challenged.

"Are you doubting my prowess?" He said, moving closer to her by leaning his torso across the console.

She stopped at a red light, then put her nose a millimeter from his and replied, "so what if I am? You're the one who said I could pick _'any'_ ingredients, so long as you had enough to make a meal." The light turned green, but neither paid it any attention. Eragon replied by closed the distance, kissing her passionately. Arya didn't hesitate to respond, but after a couple of seconds, a horn blared behind them and both of them pull back. Arya sped through the green light, looking back to see a teenager in a 2017 blue Audi R8 riding her tail. Eragon watched as Arya waved to the girl in the R8 behind them, then drove the last half-mile to Arya's house. Eragon noticed the R8 was following them there. "Is the girl in the car behind us going to join us?" Eragon asked, unaware of who she was.

"Yeah, it's a friend from school. My mom is staying late at work," Eragon noticed Islanzadí stayed late almost every night, "so I invited her over for a couple of hours." Eragon merely nodded as they pulled into the driveway, then the garage. Eragon and Arya got out of the car and grabbed the various ingredients. They either put them on the counter or in the refrigerator, depending on what the groceries needed. "I'm going to introduce you, follow me," Arya said, leading him to the front door, where the girl was waiting patiently. When Arya opened the door, standing there was a beautiful sixteen to seventeen year old girl. She was average when compared to Arya, however.

As the door opened, the girl spoke, smirking. "So, Arya. What was that in the car that I saw?"

Arya only replied with "nothing," then changed the subject. "Eragon," she said, looking at him, "this is Saphira," looking at the girl, then finished with "Saphira, this is Eragon."

Eragon smiled politely and said "hey, nice to meet you" while sticking out his left hand.

Saphira hesitated, noticing his right hand was in a cast, before sticking out her left hand and said "likewise" in a kind tone.

Arya spoke up, asking "so, how long do you think it will take to make dinner?" as she looked at Eragon.

"I'm not sure. It depends on what all you gave me to choose from," he replied, thinking. "I should probably get to it for that very reason." He waved, winked at Arya, then walked to get to work. He berated himself shortly after for doing that. _Why did I do that? That was dumb._ He began examining his ingredients, trying to decide what he could make out of it, when an idea came to him.

 **Arya**

Arya watched as he winked, then walked off. _What is going on between us?_ she asked herself, unsure.

"What was that?" Saphira whispered to her.

"Huh?" Arya tried to play dumb.

"Don't try that. You got yourself a special somebody?" Saphira said, being a nosy friend.

Arya realized her efforts were futile and was honest with her. "I'm not sure, honestly."

"Well, he obviously likes you and you didn't shut him down like you do every other guy, so that means-" Saphira was cut off.

"I said I don't know, Saphira." Arya wanted to desperately change the subject. "Why don't we go see how dinner is coming?"

Saphira became quiet, not sure about what to say. "Okay."

As they entered, Saphira spoke first. "What's cookin' good lookin'?" Arya knew what she was doing. Saphira was trying to get Arya to admit she has feeling for Eragon, if not to herself, then to Saphira. Her intentions were always pure, but how she went about it wasn't.

Eragon hesitated for a moment as he looked at Arya, unsure of what to do, before he spoke. "That's for me to know and you to find out. We never decided on what I get _when_ I win, by the way."

Arya laughed at his false arrogance. She thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. When she said this, Eragon apparently had an idea. "How about, if I win, I get to drive your car."

Saphira looked at Arya. Both of them knew Arya didn't let anyone drive her car. _As soon as the words come from my mouth, she will know._ "Alright," Saphira had a look that said _I'm right and you know it_ on her face, "but I won't be able to drive your car if I win. You don't have one."

"I guess I'll have to get one, then," Eragon replied. He then added, "how about, once I get a car, you will be the first person to drive it?"

Arya thought about it for a moment. "I agree to your terms. I won't wreck it _too_ badly. You'll be able to recognize it afterwards., at least," she said, smirking. Saphira had, without either of them noticing, backed to the corner of the room to observe the change in her friend.

Eragon glanced at the stove, to check the timer, before looking back to Arya. His left hand was in his running shorts' pocket, while his right was lax. He took several, slow steps towards her. His brown eyes were locked with her emerald eyes as he spoke. "You wouldn't."

"It's a possibility," she said, with a mischievous smile. Arya knew what he was about to do. She had an urge to run, to keep the side that is attached to Fäolin pure. But she didn't want to run away. If anything, she wanted to run towards him, but she couldn't move. She couldn't even speak. She could only watched as he took the last step, looking at her lips. It felt like an eternity before she felt the impact, then another eternity kissing. His left hand went to her cheek, while her hand went through his hair. He slowly backed her into the counter. Suddenly, the stove let out a loud _beeeeeep!_ Eragon slowly pulled back and put his forehead against hers.

"You know, I wouldn't have to do this if you never made that bet," Eragon's breathy voice said.

She slowly pushed Eragon towards the stove, then saw a person out of the corner of her eye, a grin from ear to ear on the girl's face. _Shit, Saphira saw the whole thing._ Arya opened her mouth to speak, when Saphira held up her hand and shook her head. Saphira did speak, however, and said "hey, I'm going to go to the bathroom." She walked out of the kitchen.

Arya wanted the moment to last longer than it did, but she knew that was impossible. Instead, she walked up behind Eragon and wrapped her arms around him. She mumbled into his shirt, "you need a shower."

She felt his shoulders rise as he chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I'm going to get one after dinner." She nodded into his back. They stayed like that for over a minute before the sound of the sink made her mind up to break away from Eragon. She didn't want Saphira to be a third wheel.

Arya was watching Eragon put the finishing touches on the meal as Saphira walked back in. Saphira spoke as she saw what he made. "Really? We're having _meatloaf?"_

Eragon replied with "yeah, it's my mom's recipe. I'd normally charge you, but under the circumstances of a bet, I'll make an exception."

Saphira didn't reply, but, from Saphira's facial expression, she had a reply, she just didn't want to say it. _She probably doesn't want to bring either of his parents up,_ Arya thought as she returned her attention to the meal that was now finished. Eragon took a step back and said, smirking, "alright, dig in. Try to leave me some once you're done eating my _amazing_ food." Both Saphira and Arya have him a look that said _stop being arrogant._

The three of them made their plates and sat at the table. Arya sat at the head of the table, with Eragon and Saphira on either side of her. Eragon was watching both of them, expectantly. Arya and Saphira looked at each other. They were going to do their absolute best to claim they don't like the meal. As soon as Arya took a bite, however, that plan fell flat on its face. She wanted to savor every bite, as the spices, ingredients, and beef blended into one of the best meals she's ever had. "You don't pass, you didn't use all of the ingredients I got you," Arya said, thinking of the bread.

"Oh, shit!" Eragon exclaimed, almost running out of the room. He returned moments later with a plate with six slices of bread, each topped with cheese and chives. They were baked, but a little too long based off of the black spots dotted around the crust. "This is the best part...well, it _was_ the best part before it got burnt." He set the plate down in front of them, grabbing a piece and putting it on his plate.

Arya grabbed a piece and came up with a reply, saying "this is burned, you automatically fail."

"Well, in my defense, it was going perfectly fine until someone...distracted me," Eragon replied, looking straight into her eyes.

"So, when do I get to drive your car?" She asked, trying to assert her victory and change the subject simultaneously.

"Woah woah woah, I think we need a second opinion. Saphira, what do you think?" Eragon asked, desperately trying to win the bet.

Saphira smirked and Arya immediately knew she had been betrayed. "He has a point, the main meal is perfect, while the side is a _bit_ burned. I think Eragon wins."

Arya's mind raced. _How do I get out of this?_ She thought to herself. The only arguments she could think of could easily be deflected. Arya knew it was a dirty trick, but she went with it. "The deal was made about just the two of us, not a third party."

Eragon stared at Saphira, his face asking are you serious? As he was distracted, Arya took a bite of the bread. _Damn it, it's just as good as the meatloaf,_ she thought to herself.

The three of them argued for almost thirty minutes, with Saphira and Eragon arguing against Arya. Arya and Eragon finished their meals, while Saphira was almost done. It was inevitable that Arya would lose, and, realizing this, she forfeited. "Fine," was all she said.

After a couple of moments of silence, Eragon spoke first. "So, how about Friday?"

Amidst the arguing, Arya had almost forgotten about the prize for winning the bet. Saphira spoke next, saying "I think I'm going to head out. It's almost 9:30 pm and I haven't been home since this morning. My parents will start to call if I'm out later than 10." All three of them stood up and they walked to the door. They spoke their goodbyes and, as the door was closing, Saphira have Arya a smile that said _I was right._

As soon as the door shut, it became awkward. Eragon spoke up. "I think I'm going to head to bed. I don't think I've been on any sleep schedule for several weeks now." Arya nodded. They quietly put their dishes away, then went to their respective rooms. Eragon reached his door first and looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. Instead, he walked inside and shut the door. As she watched him go in, she asked herself _do I want more? Because tonight says I do._ She shook her head of her thoughts, then changed and went to sleep. After countless minutes of thought of Eragon, sleep finally came. The next thing she remembered was her alarm blaring, waking her. Time for school, she thought.

 **Eragon**

As he looked at Arya, he wanted to say a millions things. Many things he thought were cheesey, but that didn't make them any less true. That kiss was the best kiss I've ever had. I wish moments like those would never end. There were more. Many more. A third, however, was by far the strongest. I think I'm in love with you. As he looked into her eyes, he wanted to scream it. But the words never came. Instead, he stood there and stared at her, looking like an idiot. As he shut the door and changed, he could only think to himself does she feel the same for me? That was one amazing kiss it she doesn't. He fell asleep, with his mind racing.

 **A/N**

Asnari-Thanks for the review. I think I have an idea on how I'm going to do the ExA. I completely agree about people abandoning work after they start it too. I got annoyed because I kept asking myself "what happened to the rest of the story?" as they just abandoned them. My dad drilled "if anything is worth doing, it's worth doing right" into me too much to leave something abruptly incomplete. As far as magic goes, I can't figure out a way to implement it right, so I might write this, then write one with magic later on(it depends if I'm up for writing another after this). I'll put some more thought into it and see what unfolds.

I know it's an abrupt ending. I was going to add more, which would basically be the next school day. Once I was almost done with it, I realized that I accelerated things too fast. I'm going to add a buffer where I can do more with the plot and car stuff(which I really want to get back to). Anyways, please leave a review to let me know how you think I did. I know there's been no car stuff, but I've found a way to implement gun violence if you guys will be interested in that(maybe?). I'm terrible at making decisions. Also, I have an AP Exam tomorrow(Monday) and Tuesday of this week, so I know I won't be able to write anything before my next deadline, so I might as well upload this before diving into my calculus book.

Any PC gamers here? I've been really into World of Warships and I just got the German Destroyer Z-23. It took me almost a month to get it too.


	10. Chapter 9 - Varden High

**A/N**

This chapter was done almost five hours ago, but I wasn't able to add the A/N and reformat everything. Also, proofreading was rushed, so if you spot anything, let me know and I'll go back and fix it. I'm using the FF mobile app to upload this, so let's see how that goes as well.

Don't use he FF mobile app yet, unless I did something wrong. It wouldn't let me upload it through the app for some reason. Also, sorry for the weird font size.

 **Chapter 9**

 **Eragom**

Eragon awoke to a loud _THUD THUD THUD!_ on his door, then a beautiful voice say "we have forty-five before we have to leave for school. You better get ready." He saw 7:00 am on his phone, then unlocked it to find Add Alarm? across his phone screen. _Smooth,_ he thought to himself. As he reached the door, another _THUD!_ came from the door as he opened it. Arya's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then returned to normal. _What?_ he thought to himself. Arya silently walked away, leaving a confused Eragon standing there. When he entered the bathroom, he set his clothes down on the counter, then realized why she reacted the way she did. He threw his shirt off just before going to sleep and never put one back on. He then began getting ready, taking a shower, the putting on a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and a light jacket. He finished his morning necessities before considering shaving. He looked for a razor, but couldn't find one. _Well, I guess that decision is made for me._

He walked down the stairs to see Arya eating cereal, leaning over the kitchen island. He made his bowl, then set his down beside her's. Their shoulder were touching and Arya just looked at him for a second before returning her attention to the news. "So, the Urgals have been increasing activity recently?" Eragon asked Arya, joining halfway through the broadcast.

"Yeah, they are the only gang to be increasing in activity. The other gangs are falling in activity."

"Wow," was all he said, not sure what else to say. Not being a morning person, Eragon finished his breakfast quietly, then the two of them grabbed their bags and they drove to school.

As they approached the front doors, Arya began speaking. "You need to go to the principal's office. Principal Ajihad will be expecting you today."

"Alright, do you know when I'll see you next?" Eragon asked anxiously.

"Lunch is a high possibility, but I'll send you a picture of my schedule so you can find me if you need to."

As Arya finished, Eragon hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should do what he thought about doing, but decided to do it anyways. He pecked her on the lips, then walked to the front office before she could have any reaction. Eragon noticed a couple of students watching him, curious. He ignored them and walked to the secretary, thought double doors, then to a secretary behind a desk. "Ma'am," Eragon respectively spoke, "my name is Eragon Miles and I was told to go to Principal Ajihad."

The secretary looked at him, before speaking. "Ah, yes. He is just through that hallway," she said, gesturing to a small hallway with a number of offices. Eragon thanked her, then turned into the hallway, seeing him speaking with two twins, who looked like they were in their twenties.

Ajihad noticed Eragon approaching and spoke to the twins. "We'll continue this conversation later." The man then turned to Eragon and spoke, in a much kinder tone, saying "ah, you must be Eragon." The two shook hands awkwardly, still unable to use his right due to the cast. "I was told you are staying with Arya and her mother, so I tried to match your classes as much as possible." Eragon was relieved to hear this. "Core classes were easy, but I had to match your electives with the electives you took at your original high school. These will be during the first three classes, but the last four of your day will be with Arya."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have a meeting in five minutes. The teachers are expecting you any minute now." Ajihad handed him a paper with his schedule, then Eragon turned to leave until Ajihad spoke again. "Oh, and Eragon?" He turned back. His tone turned somber. "I'm sorry for your losses. Your parents were good people." Eragon merely nodded before turning and leaving. _So, where to?_ Eragon asked himself as he saw his first three classes were the same, basically. They were mechanics classes. _Yes! This will be easy,_ he thought to himself.

After spending ten minutes navigating the hallways, five minutes after the bell, he found the classroom. He immediately noticed a familiar face as he walked in. "Saphira?" He asked, curious.

She looked up from her conversation with a couple of other students. "Oh, hey Eragon. Late on your first day of school, I see."

"Very funny." He replied as he walked to the teacher. _Mr. Fredric._ He said the name in his head before speaking. "Mr. Fredric, sorry I'm late. I'm Eragon Miles."

The man, who has a pungent odor, looked up from his paperwork, before smiling. "Welcome to Varden High. I'm the mechanics teacher here, as I'm sure you can tell. At the moment, we don't have any cars to work on, as the students just finished working on the last one. You can use this class as a study hall for the time being." _Best. Teacher. Ever._ He immediately thought.

Eragon thanked him, then sat beside Saphira.

"You're into cars?" Saphira asked as he sat down.

"Yeah, I used to have a 60's model Camaro that my dad and I built from the ground up. We put a 454 in it."

"That's what I'm talking about!" a new voice said. Eragon looked over to see Orik. This caused Eragon to think of the funeral, but he pushed the thoughts from his mind. _This isn't the time,_ he thought.

A new voice spoke, "'used to,' what happened to it?"

Before Eragon could continue, Saphira introduced them. "Eragon, this is Fírnen." Fírnen had deep green eyes that reminded him of Arya's, but they weren't the same.

For the next three class periods, they spoke about various topics. He and Saphira spoke as if they had known each other since birth. Eragon often knew what Saphira was about to say, however, he didn't speak up about it to avoid being creepy. He noticed she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and the only person who openly opposed her was Fírnen.

It was 11:20 am, just five minutes from class ending, releasing the students to lunch. Eragon asked Saphira "when does Arya have lunch?"

Saphira replied with "curious about her, are we?" Eragon smiled. _She knows._ "Yeah, she has first lunch with us," Saphira continued, in a more serious tone. Eragon began untangling his earbuds, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed and he wanted _zero_ part of it. He wasn't fast enough, however. "So, you have a thing for Arya?"

He was successful avoiding similar questions the entire time, but he had no way to get out of this one. He decided to play it like a stereotypical high school student would, saying "yeah, she's pretty hot."

Saphira looked at him, seeing through his facade. "Well, Arya doesn't let guys who think she's 'pretty hot' make out with her in her car." She gestured all around him as she continued. "There's more going on here and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Eragon smirked as the bell rang. "Have fun with that" was all he said as he put his earbuds in and played music, trying to ignore her questions. Fírnen decided to save him by distracting Saphira during their walk to class. He didn't talk to Eragon much, and, as a result, Eragon didn't know him well.

When Eragon saw Arya, her eyes found his and everything else became insignificant. A lot of people looked at him, as the "new kid" walked through the lunch room, but all he saw was Arya.

He was around 10 feet away when a girl stepped in front of him. He reluctantly broke his eyes from hers to look at the girl. She was younger than he was, that much was obvious, but that was all he could tell. Her binder was wrapped in her arms in front of her chest, which only made her seem younger. She didn't speak up after several seconds, so he spoke up in a forced, kind tone. "Can I help you?"

She smiled, then spoke "yes, actually. I was wondering if you'd go on a date with me." The statement shocked him to his core as flicked his eyes to Arya, who was staring at him, then back to the girl. This was the first time he actually focused on her. She was the kind of girl your mom would call "cute," but try to discourage a relationship with. Her blue eyes were startling, almost off-putting, and her wry mouth was twisted into a smile. She looked like she was planning something.

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately coming up with an excuse, "but I'm not really in an emotional state to have a relationship right now."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were looking for an excuse to skip out," she coolly replied with a smile.

 _She does_ not _take a hint._ "I just lost my parents less than a month ago," he didn't want to say it fully. _She's just a teenager looking for a boyfriend,_ he told himself. She threw her arms around him in a hug and he could only stiffen while he stared at Arya, apologetically. "Hey, um, I'm gonna go get lunch. See you around." He walked towards Arya as Trianna waved just her fingers at him and he waved back.

"Got a new girlfriend?" Arya asked as he approached.

He couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious, so he played it nonchalantly. "Pssh, no. That'll never happen." The lunch line hadn't moved since he walked in and he commented that to Arya, trying to change the subject.

She responded with "yeah, there's around 300 students in this lunch. Plus, people like Saphira tend to cut line to talk to their friends."

"Speaking of Saphira, what's with her and Fírnen? They were gawking at each other the last three periods," Eragon asked. He stared into her eyes. _I don't think I'll ever tire of her eyes,_ He distractedly thought to himself.

She was staring back into his eyes as she spoke. "I'm not really sure. He moved here at the beginning of the school year and I haven't talked to him much," was Arya's reply.

The two of them walked through the line, they talked about what to expect during the next classes. They grabbed food on their way through, finding the school offered pizza, which every school seemed to offer, and cheeseburgers, with a few sides.

Eragon paid for his lunch, then waited on Arya to pay. As he waited, he looked for a place to sit. Arya motioned for him to follow as she left the line, which he complied to. A moment later, he found himself sitting at a round table, where Orik and a couple of others were already sitting across the table. Saphira and Fírnen arrived at the table as Eragon and Arya did. Saphira and Fírnen took seats side-by-side just as Eragon and Arya did.

Eragon and Arya ate and spoke for over ten minutes, primarily about cars, when someone walked towards them from behind. "Yeah I-" Arya started, then grimaced slightly. "No" the word came out cold. Arya's eyes were still on Eragon, but the words weren't directed towards him.

Eragon glanced at the person who walked up from behind them. The guy was huge. The kind of huge that came from genetics as well as frequent gym visits. _He gives Roran a run for his money,_ Eragon amusedly thought to himself. With an arrogant stance and an attempted charming smile, he spoke in a roughy voice. "Come on, Arya. Just one date." He didn't seem the type to beg, but he was getting very close now.

Arya focused solely on the guy. "Cameron, I'm not-" she stopped, refocused on Eragon, then looked back to 'Cameron' to continue. "If I were to get a boyfriend, it wouldn't be you." Eragon began to connect the dots. _There's history, he's tried this before. Rough voice, perhaps frequent yelling as a quarterback? He's big for a quarterback, but anything is possible._

"Arya, all I want is-" Eragon had enough.

Eragon abruptly stood up, knowing Arya would probably be mad at him for defending her, and said, in an equally cold voice as Arya, "she obviously doesn't want to, so stop asking."

Cameron was fuming. His shoulders rose several inches with each breath he took and his nose expanded as he exhaled. Eragon could feel the eyes of over 300 students and staff on him. The only two eyes that mattered were Arya's, which he couldn't risk a glance toward. After several seconds, he spoke just loud enough for Eragon to hear. "You better watch yourself, boy," then walked off. He sat down, everyone still watching him, and began to quietly eat. After a couple of seconds, everyone's eyes left him except for Arya's.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that." He looked up to see Arya staring at him, an anomalous emotion in her eyes.

He stared at her for a few seconds, gathering the courage to say the next words more than anything. "Yeah, I did."

 **Arya**

When he stood up for her, part of her hated it, but another part of her felt fuzziness. It was almost as if part of her _enjoyed_ having him stand up for her. "Yeah, I did" rang in her head. Arya expected a lot of reactions from Eragon, but a direct confrontation to a star football player? That wasn't even a consideration.

 _He did have to stand up for me. That means- no. Why am I acting like a middle schooler about this?_ Arya thought to herself as she led Eragon to their next class. As they walked, Arya noticed people look at Eragon, but she didn't know if it was because he is new or they heard about the confrontation. _Both? Probably._ They didn't talk much as they made it to the classroom.

The teachers were already informed of Eragon's loss of his parents, so the next teacher, Mrs. Ryan, put Eragon beside Arya, probably to keep someone who knows him close. The teacher handed him a copy of Hamlet and he grimaced. Arya smiled and said "we're reading it in class. The roles have already been given out, so you just have to focus on staying awake, really."

Eragon was about to reply when the bell rang, and the teacher immediately began telling the students where to start. Instead of continuing, he pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. _Is he taking notes?_ He handed her the paper. _He's passing notes._

 _We read this in class last year._

Arya scribbled on it _how cheesey, writing notes in class._ She handed it back to him when the teacher wasn't looking.

Before Eragon wrote back, he hesitated. After a moment, he wrote on the paper again and handed it back to Arya. He was watching her this time. She read _only when you consider the most gorgeous girl in school is writing_ _me_ _notes in class._ Simultaneously, she blushed, smirked, and shook her head as she wrote her reply.

She wrote _you don't look bad yourself,_ then handed it back to him. They continued this through the class, making jokes during certain parts of the play. The teacher caught Eragon writing once, but said he was writing page numbers and lines for important scenes. The teacher complimented his efforts, then concluded reading for the day as the class was about to end. Arya was smirking at Eragon as he put his book and "notes" up. He saw her expression, then laughed.

This continued as they went from class to class. After English, they went to AP Calculus, PE, and were about to enter chemistry. It was taught by a Mr. Steele. He was in his thirties with dark brown hair, and a skinny body. The classroom's door opened to an area filled with desks and chemistry-related decorations, then had a laboratory area beyond the desks. The laboratory area had numerous lab tables and equipment.

Once the late bell rang, Eragon and Arya focused on the teacher. Eragon didn't know, due to the conversation not being brought up, but she was expecting to begin a lab in this class. Mr. Steele began class. "To some of your disappointment," he began, "and others immense joy, the lab materials have been delayed due to a shipping problem. As a result, our plans have been delayed a day. I don't have any plans for class, so this will be a free day. These don't happen often, so utilize this efficiently." With that, he grabbed a paper off his desk and handed Eragon a syllabus, like every teacher before, and welcomed him to the class.

Arya sat quietly as Eragon put his new paper in his bag. They sat beside each other, like in every class before it. Arya watched as a familiar face walked towards them. The girl spoke first, startling Eragon as he dug through his bag, "hi, I'm Angela. I've heard a lot about you and, I must admit, it has made me quite curious about you." Angela was interesting. She was of short stature and had thick, curly brown hair. She seemed as if she were in her twenties.

"Umm," Eragon stuttered as he rose from his bag, "hello, I'm Eragon." He stuck out his left hand.

Arya watched as Angela cautiously shook his hand. "You know, in some cultures it is considered rude to shake with your left hand. The reason for this is because they don't always use toilet paper and use their left hand." she said, smiling.

Arya laughed as Eragon stumbled over his next reply. After several seconds, he managed to say "I can assure you that I use toilet paper. My right hand is in a cast, so I have been using my left."

Angela kept smiling throughout his reply, then calmly added "I just thought I'd meet you. I need to get back to a couple of tasks before an unpleasant explosion occurs." With that, she walked off, leaving Eragon staring at Arya with a very confused expression.

"That's Angela. She stays in this room most of the time, but helps Ajihad and some others with many tasks. She graduated a couple of years ago, but she works at a nearby university, performing experiments." Eragon's confused look didn't change, which caused Arya to laugh. "It's not that hard to grasp, Eragon."

He shook his head, as if clearing his head of his thoughts, then said "no, it's what she said to me. That was very...unusual."

Arya smirked as she remembered her first encounter with Angela. "She does seem weird at first, but you get used to her."

Due to Eragon's limitless questions, Arya ended up explaining that Angela was invaluable to Ajihad outside of school, which basically allows her to do as she pleases in the school as long as she doesn't disrupt class. After the conversation, the talking between the two died down and they sat there, quietly. Eragon kept sneaking glances at her. _I'm going to ask him next time he does it,_ she told herself, but she didn't. The words wouldn't come when she tried to say them. Seconds before the bell rang, he did it again. Finally, the words came out, in a kind tone, as she led him towards the exit. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"Huh? Oh, no reason." This caused Arya to give Eragon a look that said _really? You're going to play it like that?_ Instead of replying, he stepped in front of her to the side door leading to the student parking lot. He walked into it backwards and began talking, keeping one hand on the door with his body extended past the door. "If you _must know_ -" he was cut off as a fist came from around the blocked side of the door. Arya watched as Eragon dropped to his knees, narrowly avoiding the collision, then turned his attention to his attacker. By then, Arya had already rushed out of the door Eragon had let go of and she saw his attacker. _Cameron._ Arya was about to speak again, telling Eragon to leave him, but Cameron noticed Arya and immediately swung at Eragon again. Arya watched in shock as Eragon grabbed his fist, using his left hand, then expertly use his momentum against him, bringing Cameron's arm behind his back and lifting it towards his shoulder blade. He whispered something into the Cameron's ear, quiet enough that Arya couldn't hear, then Cameron's rage-twisted face turned red and Eragon let him go. He looked at Eragon as if he was everything Cameron hated, in one form.

Eragon turned around and walked away, headed towards her car. He was taking long, purposeful strides. Arya had to practically run to keep up with him. "Where'd you learn that?" she asked when she finally caught up. She wanted to keep the conversation on the topic of the fight.

As he approached the passenger side of the GT-R, he said "my dad insisted that I take fighting classes back when I was in middle school. He would never explain why, but it made sense after he explained what happened with the IRC."

Arya nodded. _He said more about that topic than I expected,_ she thought to herself. As she pulled out of the parking lot, trying to beat the mass chaos that develops if you don't hurry, she asked "what did you tell him?" That was the question she really wanted to know. It would allow her to determine if Cameron would come at him again.

He didn't answer. Instead, he just looked out of the window. Arya decided to not push it, she could determine it later. So, she connected her phone to her radio with Bluetooth and played a song she knew Eragon enjoyed. After it played for a couple of seconds, she noticed he looked towards her, but didn't say anything. An idea came to Arya as she drove, then she turned. Eragon noticed the anomaly, but didn't say anything. He became more alert as she approached the destination.

They arrived on the outskirts of the city, in an abandoned parking garage that rose four stories. Arya drove to the top as she went through the best way to go about what she was about to do. She turned the car around, moving her hands nimbly, when they reached the end of it. She was about to straighten out when she slammed on the gas, sending the rear of the car out, then immediately turned the wheel back to the right to counter steer. It was expensive, but she was glad she paid for the RWD conversion. She feathered the gas, sending the RPMs up when she felt the car grip too much and letting them fall when the car swung out too much. As she approached each of the ninety degree turns that combined to make a U-turn, she would shift up, providing the car with more torque and, as a result, wheelspin. As she brought the car through a wide S shaped drift, working the car towards the next level, she glanced at Eragon. He had a look of pure joy on his face. It was a smile he only got when she was with him or, apparently, when racing and drifting.

She tore her eyes from him as she prepared for the next sharp turn. The car shifted up, then the tires squealed even more as the RPMs rose again. She repeated the maneuver through each floor until she got to the bottom, then stopped. Her heart was racing from the adrenaline that was running through her. _That never gets old,_ she thought to herself as she decided to speak with Eragon. "So-"

Eragon spoke at the same time and Arya stopped immediately, not wanting him to stop. He met her eyes, then said "I told him 'you have one option right now and that is to walk away. You do not speak to Arya again unless she says it's okay.'" Arya didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say primarily because two sides were fighting. One part argued _you can defend yourself. You've done it for over a year now._ The other majority of her argued _that's sweet of him. He isn't the average high school guy with only sex on his mind. When he could have yelled at him for taking a cheap shot, he defended_ me _instead._

Eragon was about to speak again when Arya's body acted without thought. She leaned over the console, which was becoming a more and more frequent barrier in recent weeks, and kissed him, taking him completely by surprise. After the moment of surprise, he returned the kiss as passionately as she did, their lips moving in sync. Arya's hands went to the back of his neck as his hand and cast wrapped around her back, pulling her torso against his. Eragon slowly pulled back, leaving centimeters from their faces, just enough to look each other in the eye. He spoke. "Arya, I know the only thing lacking is the label, but, after what that guy said at lunch, I have to make it official. And I know the timing is awk-"

Arya cut him off. "Yes, now stop making it worse." Arya kissed him again. How long it lasted, neither of them know, but the clock in her car read 3:43 when Arya started driving again. They both had childish grins in their faces. _How am I going to tell mother?_ Am _I going to tell mother? She might kick him out or…_ she decided not to dwell on it yet. _There will be a time for that later._

 **A/N**

Asnari-I did a bit of Eragon and Saphira and I wanted to do more. In hind sight, I probably should have covered less time and more content. Next chapter will definitely have more of a focus on other characters. As far as guns go, I think I've decided on how to implement it, but keep it limited. Thanks for the review and the good luck on the exams. I got those out of the way, so more time to write!

Guest-First, I want to thank you for the review. I'm probably going to avoid magic as I'm not sure how I would go about implementing or explaining how it exists.

Friday's chapter will have a lot more content because I'm out of school Tuesday for the primary election.

I decided to focus less on Saphira and Fírnen this chapter to try to emphasize Eragon and Arya's focus(or lack there of) on their surroundings. This chapter had a lot of "should I do this?" and retyping of areas. If you guys want, because of my "I should have added more" mentality on this chapter, I am more than willing to go back and add more details in this chapter, but the next chapter might be a day late. I'll have three solid hours riding shotgun tomorrow, so updating this chapter before May 13 at midnight is easily possible. A new chapter in Sunday and Monday is also possible, it will just cause me to limit my World of Warships addiction. As always, I am open to suggestions on previous changes and/or future changes. Anyways, thank you for reading and please leave a review or send me a PM.


	11. Chapter 10 - Countdown

**Update A/N**

This update is just review replies. I forgot to do them last night and decided to do last chapter's and this chapter's.

 **A/N**

There are two things I've thought about recently. One thing, something that I've thought about since before I started writing, actually, is lemons in FF about ExA. I have decided to leave it solely up to you guys. I will be content with the story either way. I could write a "separate" story that has an alternate chapter with the lemon, I could have it in the actual story, with warnings before and after, or I could just leave it out completely. Another thing, which was my other alternative to this story, was one about sports. The list was mainly soccer and football(which I know the best). I was wondering if I should alternate weeks, one week with this story and the following week with the sports story were I to do two stories. So, yeah. Those options are up to you, as the audience, for both. Were I to write another story and you guys don't like it as well, I could always refocus on this or vice versa if you think I developed the other better. Also, this is a shorter chapter that was mainly to prepare for the next one. I feared if I took this through what will be the next chapter, it would be forever long. Anyways, R&R please.

 **Chapter 10**

 **Eragon**

The afternoon was the same as every afternoon before. Islanzadí stayed late, again, Eragon cooked another of his many meals, and Arya talked with Eragon in the kitchen, occasionally working on homework. The only real change was the physical level of their relationship, with a hand hold here or a kiss there. Eragon had never had a serious girlfriend before, so it was an adjustment for him. There were middle school relationships, but he tried his hardest to wipe those years from his memory.

Following a goodnight kiss, they went to sleep in their respective rooms. As Eragon fell asleep, he was smiling. Every time he managed to stop smiling, it slowly crept back on his face. His mind was on Arya until sleep finally enveloped him.

 _Beep! Beep! Bee-_ was all it took for his alarm to wake him and for him to turn it off. Sleeping in was a very tempting offer, but he rolled out of bed, listening to his better judgement. He grabbed clothes to change into and headed for the door out of his room. Eragon opened the door and stepped outside, bumping into a half-asleep Arya. Both of them reached out to stop the other from falling. Eragon muttered "sorry" as he bent down to pick up his clothes.

Arya didn't reply for a moment, then said "it's fine" before heading off to get ready for school.

A creak came from the stairs, opposite of where Arya was walking. _Islanzadí must still be home._ Eragon watched Arya leave his sight before he resumed walking to the bathroom. As he reached the door, a familiar voice spoke, saying "so, it appears you two have developed feelings for each other." Eragon turned to see Islanzadí watching him as if she was attempting to decipher a puzzle. As what she said sank in, he became stunned and no words formed. She spoke before he could think of any words to say. "All I ask is that you be careful with her." She began to look where Arya walked towards. "She has been through a lot for such a short life, not that you have been spared of the twisted game that is fate."

By then, Eragon had developed a sentence to say. "Yes, ma'am. I would treat her no other way than with care."

Islanzadí smiled, then said "please call me Islanzadí. You are living in my house, after all." With that, she began to walk back towards the stairs she came from. "Oh, and Eragon?" Her smile remained unchanged as she continued. "Don't do anything... _rash_ while the two of you are alone." Then she left him to his thoughts. Eragon watched as Islanzadí walked off as if no conversation happened. He shook his head. _She is just being a rightfully protective mother,_ he thought as he began his morning routine to prepare for school.

Once he was ready, he went downstairs to find it was 7:25 still, giving them over thirty minutes before they had to leave. Arya was grabbing a box of cereal before he stopped her, saying "I can throw something together."

Arya put the box back, then said "okay." She stood by the stove and observed as he grabbed some ingredients for bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits. Arya observed and occasionally offered assistance throughout as they went through.

It was a meal he has prepared over a thousand times, but, with Arya there, it seemed different. _Better,_ he decided. They talked about a variety of topics before Eragon bumped his cast on the stove, turning the burners on. "I can't wait to get this stupid thing off," he muttered to himself as he turned the unneeded burners off, but Arya heard him.

Arya spoke, saying "You have your check up this Friday, so four days including today. They should tell you then, but there's also a chance you can get it taken off Friday as well." Eragon nodded as the final timer went off, indicating the meal just needed to be put together. Eragon pulled the food out as Arya grabbed plates and cups. Arya prepared her food first, as she had the plates, then Eragon followed her. They leaned on the island, as they did the day before, and silently ate their food.

After a couple of minutes, Eragon began to stare at Arya as she ate. She was watching the news, not paying attention to him. _She is absolutely gorgeous,_ he thought to himself. Arya glanced over at him and realized he was staring at her. "What?" she asked as her voice was muffled by the bit of food in her mouth.

Eragon smile and said "nothing."

Arya swallowed then said, in a slightly more agitated tone, "what?"

"I need to go grab my stuff for school. I'll be back," was his excuse. Arya didn't say anything as he walked out of the room. He didn't really have to get his stuff, as his bag was on the way out of the house, but he didn't want to tell her his thought. _It seems...cheesey._ When he returned, Arya didn't acknowledge his "secret." Arya simply turned the tv off, then asked "are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready" was Eragon's reply as they headed for Arya's car and got in.

They pulled out of the driveway, then Arya asked "so what was that back in the kitchen?"

"It was stupid."

Arya smiled and looked over at him. "I'll be the judge of that."

"I was just thinking how gorgeous you are."

Arya was caught off guard a bit. She jokingly replied a moment later "and you think that's stupid?"

Eragon smiled before he replied. "Yeah, it's stupid in the sense that it's cheesey. As if they ripped it straight out of a chick-flick."

Arya laughed, then said "it sounds like your life is turning into a chick-flick." Eragon grimaced at the thought. Before Eragon could reply, Arya spoke in a more serious tone. "I don't think we should kiss at school because I don't want my mother to find out just yet."

Eragon smiled uncomfortably. "Uuhh, she already knows."

"What?" she exclaimed. "How do you know?" Eragon thought back to the conversation and explained what was said. Knowing Islanzadí was talking about sex, he watched Arya's reaction as he quoted Islanzadí's last sentence. Her expression didn't change, as if she was expecting him to say it.

For the minute or so remaining of the commute, they were silent. Eragon could tell Arya was contemplating what her mother said and he didn't want to intrude on her thoughts. When Arya pulled into her parking spot, they sat in silence because they were several minutes early. Arya spoke three minutes before they had to start walking towards the school with a slight joking tone. "I'm not entirely comfortable with make out sessions in public. It's j-"

"I completely understand." Eragon cut her off with an understanding tone, not needing her to explain. "It can be awkward for the...audience to witness."

They sat in silence for another minute before Arya broke the silence. "I guess we should head in."

Eragon nodded, then brushed her hair behind her ear before slowly leaning in to kiss her. Arya, prepared for it after he brushed her hair, immediately responded. As they broke away, there was a knock outside of Arya's window.

Eragon looked to see Saphira watching the interaction with interest. Eragon and Arya got out of the car, following Saphira to the school.

Saphira didn't talk about the kiss, again, but Eragon knew he would be bombarded with questions once Arya left.

They walked together until they reached a split in the hallway where Arya went to first period. Eragon gave Arya a quick hug before they split. As soon as Arya was out of sight, Saphira spoke. "What was that in the car?"

Eragon had already prepared a lie, unsure if Arya wanted others to know. "Arya had a black mark on her neck and I was trying to see if I could get it off." It was a terrible lie and Eragon knew it.

"First of all, that was terrible. You were obviously kissing her. Second, your tell a huge red flag." Saphira replied as they entered the classroom.

"Wait, what's my tell?" Eragon asked, genuinely curious.

Saphira replied, but, what he assumed was, her sapphire blue R8 was sitting on a lowered lift with the trunk popped in the connected garage. The 5.2 liter V10 was exposed to everyone looking. He admired the German engineering behind the engine and the appearance. He examined everything exposed, which wasn't much. Saphira's voice snapped him out of his drooling. "I got it a week or so before you moved here. I haven't done anything custom to it, which is why I brought it here. There are a couple of other minds than mine looking at it, and there's a lift here."

Eragon nodded, understanding both of her points. "Do you plan on adding aftermarket parts or just tuning it?" Eragon asked, wondering what she was planning.

"Mostly tuning, but I might change the AWD system to a 25 front, 75 back and maybe some sort of aspiration" was her reply. She added "we should probably check in before we get started."

"So, does Mr. Fredric allow students to bring in their cars?" Eragon asked.

"He does when we don't have any other vehicles in, like right now."

Eragon nodded, then the two of them what they would be doing, then Saphira called Fírnen and Orik over to help with the car. The four of them surrounded the car and Saphira listed off a series of things she wanted either checked or tweaked. They worked together and separately as various tasks required various amounts of cooperation. They worked on anything from fuel injection to the gear ratio to the suspension. Many things couldn't be changed due to the technology gap between the car and the tools they had to work with, but Sapira's laptop made up for the electrical side.

After almost three class periods of solid work, the four of them called it quits when the car was in stable condition. They didn't want to have the car run poorly and be unable to work on it.

As Saphira drove the car into the parking lot, the three guys returned to their seats for the last few minutes of class. Fírnen spoke in a different tone than he did when working on the car. "I need some advice on something."

Orik and Eragon looked at each other, unsure of where this was headed. Eragon spoke slowly and cautiously. "Okay, what do you need advice on?"

Fírnen spoke one word. "Saphira."

Orik spoke immediately. "You are asking the wrong guy. I stick with cars when it comes to advice."

Eragon spoke after Orik. "Yeah, relationships aren't my specialty either."

"Saphira said you and Arya were devouring each other in the car, so you have to have some advice." Fírnen countered.

Eragon froze as the words came from Fírnen's mouth. _Arya is going to murder Saphira if she finds out she said something._ "The only advice I have for you is the stereotypical 'be yourself and you'll be fine.'"

Fírnen's face fell after hearing this. _What do I say? I don't know either of them well enough,_ Eragon thought to himself. Just then, Saphira walked into the classroom and the bell rang. Eragon and Orik began walking out and headed for the cafeteria. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Saphira and Fírnen in a conversation as they also headed for the cafeteria.

As Orik and Eragon walked, they talked about various cars and Eragon learned that Orik drove a yellow, 2017 Dodge Viper with black stripes. _What's with all of these 2017 sports cars and muscle cars?_ Eragon thought to himself as they approached the line to get food. They walked to the line that Arya was in, as it was the shortest and Arya was there. "So, what kind of car are you going to get?" Orik asked. Arya looked intrigued by this question, as she hasn't heard the answer to this before.

"I'm not sure, to be completely honest. My dad drove a Mercedes and it was a great car, so I might look through Mercedes and McLaren cars. Anything is possible, though." was Eragon's reply. In truth, he hasn't done any research to compare to even begin buying a car. Nor has he looked at his budget, which would involve him looking at his inheritance from his parents.

They walked through the line and grabbed food from a selection of quesadillas, chicken or beef nachos, or a chicken or beef taco. While it sounds good in theory, the appearance and taste was anything except "good." He grabbed a bottle of water and some rice, paid, then headed for the lunch table behind Orik and Arya.

When they sat down, Orik was complaining about his math class and how useless it all was. While they talked, Eragon couldn't help but think about how insignificant school was. With gang violence, hit-and-runs, and a racing organization that corrupted the majority of the US government, how could high school be anything except insignificant?

His thoughts distracted him for the rest of lunch and he soon found himself sitting beside Arya in his next class. While the class was reading Hamlet, Eragon either distracted on Arya or distracted with his thoughts. When the class was about to end, he decided to talk to Ajihad about it at the start of the next class.

When the bell rang, he told Arya his plan. "I'm going to talk with Principal Ajihad. Can you tell Ms. Kessinger that I will be there?"

Arya just nodded and said "yeah, sure." With that said, Eragon thanked her and headed for the principal's office. After convincing the secretary that he needed to see him, he found himself outside of his office. Eragon knocked and said "Mr. Ajihad? It's Eragon. May I come in?"

After a moment's hesitation, he heard a voice from inside the office say "yes, come in."

Eragon walked in and stood behind a chair until Ajihad said, with a smile, "sit down, you don't have to be all respectful to me."

Eragon complied, then decided he might as well be blunt. "I've been thinking about...everything and I was thinking about how insignificant this is compared to what is going on with the URC."

Ajihad sighed as if he knew this conversation would occur eventually. "I know you're antsy, especially after what has happened to you, but we have a plan. At the moment, until you are fully healed, anyways, the plan is for you to be an average high school student. Once you get fully healed, we can start talking about...extracurricular activities for you."

Eragon realized Ajihad didn't want to speak completely free in case someone was listening. "So there is a plan to get me involved in extracurricular activities?" Eragon asked.

"Yes, but you will have to be patient. In the meantime, enjoy yourself. You won't always have this amount of free time." That was what Eragon feared. Knowing the cause of his parents' deaths, doing nothing for almost a week and a half was causing him to grow impatient.

Eragon stood and shook Ajihad's hand. "Sorry to take up your time. That was just something I couldn't get off my mind the last couple of hours."

Ajihad smiled before saying "it was no trouble, Eragon. If you need me, I should be here or you can get into contact with me through Arya."

After he left the office, he felt no different than when he entered.

He went through the motions of his classes and had many enjoyable conversations with Arya until they finally left school. _Three more days,_ he told himself, _three more days, then I can get this stupid cast off._

 **A/N**

First, thank you Dragon Junkie74 and wwareham1 for the follows and favorites. They are much appreciated.

Asnari-I felt the slow chapters were necessary to develop characters and relationships a bit. Plus, now, I know where I want to take a couple of things that I hadn't nailed the details down to. Lemons definitely wouldn't be a regular thing. Plus, my experience is...shall we say, limited in that area. I might throw up a couple of chapters to the other one over the rest of May and June. As for the time skip, it would only be a few days. Maybe a week and a half, but I doubt it.

Dragon Junkie74-Thanks. I try to keep the quality vs quantity up. I know I've succeeded in quantity thus far.

I kinda understand why people abandon FF's after starting a ExA relationship. It can be a bit difficult to word things right sometimes.

Something I've thought about is Saphira and Eragon's bond. I think I know how I'm going to do it, but I won't be able to get into the deeper stuff until Eragon gets driving again, which I want to get back into soon. I might do a short time skip if that's okay.


	12. Chapter 11 - The Drive

**Update A/N**

Oh, I almost forgot. I can't decide if there should be a mental connection between Eragon and Saphira. Let me know what you guys think. That is part of the reason I cut the story off where I did.

 **A/N**

Setting Sights-I was actually planning to implement what you were talking about soon...very soon. It's all apart of the master plan...I think.

I mention an exercise a bit later. If you don't know what they are, check out this video.  /watch?v=BMAvfw29wi8

The guy is a bit weird in the video, I know. In my defense, I don't watch YouTube videos about exercising. The exercises I do I get from a trainer or I got them from my dad.

So, I proofread, but I feel like I didn't fix something, so if you notice something, please point it out via a review or PM please. R&R please.

 **Chapter 11**

 **Arya**

Music blared in her ears, drowning out the majority of the repetitious beat coming from her feet landing on the treadmill. Normally, she would run outside, but Eragon wanted to strengthen his right arm after getting it out of the cast the day before. They were in the basement. Arya was facing a window, while Eragon was behind her, picking up various dumbbells, working his way up from 10 to test his harm.

Arya would glance over at him every couple of minutes to make sure he wasn't doing something stupid and, so far, he was playing it safe. Arya was finishing on her last 400m, so she decided to pick up her pace. She transitioned to a run until she had 100m left, then turned the treadmill to a full sprint. She opened her form, using every bit of mass in her body to push the speed of her sprint to its limit. A high pitched beep signified she had finished her last kilometer. She hit stop, missing once in her attempt to maintain the sprint the last couple of steps. She looked at her time and smiled. 42:02 was written across the treadmill's screen. She turned to gloat, speaking in-between breaths, "hah, I beat your 10k time."

Eragon was finishing the last set of 21's. It was interesting to watch his left arm have no strain while his right was shaking from the weight. He set the bar down on its rack before speaking and, even then, was out of breath. "What time did you get?"

Arya replied in an as a matter of fact tone. "42:02."

Eragon whistled, impressed. "I've pretty much plateaued at 42:30. Now, in a week or so, come over to this side of the gym and see who wins in a competition."

Arya smirked. She didn't dedicate as much time to weights as she did running, though she could lift more than a lot of the guys at Varden High. "Why wait a week? We could do it tomorrow," Arya challenged.

He laughed, walked towards her and said "we both know that I get some recovery time after getting my cast removed. Speaking of which, I think it's time."

Arya was confused for a moment. "It's time for what?"

Eragon was inches from her as she finished her question, then he whispered his reply into her ear. "It's time for me to drive your car."

A strong stench of Axe infiltrated her nostrils, causing her to push him back. "I'll _consider_ you driving my car today _after_ you take a shower. I'm not getting," she gestured towards his entire body, "that all over my leather." Rather than replying, Eragon tried to kiss her, which only resulted in him being pushed back again. One word came out of her mouth. "Shower."

Eragon accepted defeat and walked towards the stairs. As he reached them, he turned around and spoke in a jokingly arrogant way. "You want this all over your leather." When the last word came out, he had a goofy grin on his face. Arya wanted to kiss him, but the smell of Axe spray deodorant was overpowering, even in the smallest doses.

As he ran up the stairs, Arya yelled after him. "You need to throw that Axe away. That is _the_ worst deodorant ever designed." Eragon didn't reply and Arya went to shower off herself. _I can't stand this feeling of grime all over me,_ she thought as she grabbed clothes she could relax in, but also go outside in, knowing Eragon would want to drive later. She set her clothes down in the bathroom, then went through her morning routine.

She walked out of the bathroom to find Eragon was nowhere in the house. She was about to call him when it dawned on her. _He's in the garage._ She entered the garage to find him sitting on a rolling mechanic's chair, watching her entrance. Knowing he would want to break the law, she entered the driver's seat, ready to take him to a private course.

As soon as he sat in the passenger's seat, he asked the question she was expecting. His tone was overly saddened. "Why am I not driving?" his voice was falsely breaking.

She gave him a look before following a route she has taken numerous times. "I'm taking you to a place without police, so you can really drive." He grinned and began bombarding her with questions about where they were going. Arya's replied consisted of "we're almost there" and "patience." Eventually, Eragon stopped asking questions and started playing music off his phone.

It was only a ten minute drive before they arrived at the abandoned race track. Eragon looked around while she approached the starting positions.

"What is this place?" Eragon asked.

"It was called Edur Ithindra during the height of the IRC, but it has been abandoned with the URC. It was a frequent racing location before it was abandoned."

Several metal stands for seating were set up around the track, but they were rusting from years of vacancy. There was a tower at the center of the track that could oversee the track, probably for announcers. Arya pulled the car into first starting position, put the car in park, then opened the door. Eragon and Arya crossed paths at the hood and Eragon stopped her. He whispered, as if it were a secret, "thank you," then slowly inched forward to kiss her. Arya didn't reply, content with kissing him. Their lips met for only a few seconds before an impatient Eragon broke off. He was smiling from ear to ear as he got in the car. Arya lost sight of him until she sat beside him and looked to see the former happiness vanished as he gripped the steering wheel.

 **Eragon**

As he situated his hands on the steering wheel, memories flooded him. Memories of his dad and the countless hours Eragon spent behind the wheel as his dad sat beside him. Memories of his mother as Eragon drove her to some insignificant location. He barely heard Arya ask "what's wrong?" but the memories were too loud. The realization that he would never have those moments again hit the hardest.

It suddenly felt as if he couldn't breath and he got out of the car. He didn't even bother shutting the door, but a door was heard being shut behind him. All he could do was walk and look straight ahead. Suddenly, he was stopped by a pair of arms being wrapped around him. He looked down to see Arya wrapped around him, watching his eyes. An abrupt feeling to be closer to her caused him to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in the base of her neck. Not knowing what to do, he sobbed.

He felt vulnerable in this uncontrollable state. All he knew was that Arya was there, playing with the hair on the back of his neck in an attempt to soothe him. Eventually the tears stopped flowing and the memories faded back into the past, but he didn't move. He was content where he was. Without moving either of them, Arya spoke with the slightest hint of worry in her tone. "Are you alright?" she waited a moment, but Eragon didn't speak. He couldn't find the words. "Talk to me," she continued.

Eragon nodded into her shoulder before taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He pulled back to look Arya in the eyes. "The last real memories I have of my dad," he spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each word, "were him teaching me how to drive. How to drift, really." He let out a short laugh at his former self's innocence. _I only cared about driving,_ he thought to himself. "So, when I grabbed the steering wheel, all of those memories flooded back and…" he stopped, not entirely sure how to continue his statement.

Arya broke the silence. "It's hard to lose a parent. I can't even imagine what it feels like to lose both." They were both silent, unsure about what to say. Finally, Arya spoke again, smiling. "You know what I think?" Eragon lifted an eyebrow in response. "I think you should take a couple of laps around the track." Eragon knew her well enough to know she was trying to get him to drive, both to see if he was able to drive now that he talked about it and to try to distract him from his memories.

Eragon decided to at least reassure Arya if he couldn't reassure himself. He smiled as convincingly as he could and said "alright, time to give you a run for your money" in a joking tone. He still couldn't completely get what happened off of his mind and Arya wasn't convinced based off of her facial expression. As they approached the car and entered, Eragon gripped the steering wheel while fighting off the memories.

After a moment to completely focus on driving, Eragon revved the engine a couple of times to test how quickly the RPMs rose. Once he was satisfied he knew the car well, he accelerated as quickly as he could. He needed to know how the torque felt before he started drifting, so he took the first turn slowly, smoothly taking a sharp right by riding the race line from thousands of tires riding over the asphalt. The next was a left turn and, by then, he was confident enough to begin drifting. He accelerated from his comfortable speed to swing the rear end around. He realized how sore he was at this moment as his arms felt too weak to turn the steering wheel fast enough. He was oversteering and released the throttle slightly to lessen the angle on the car. By then, it was time to exit the turn, so he reduced the throttle more and turned the steering wheel back straight. As the car completely straightened and regained grip, he pushed the throttle down to increase his speed. Knowing it didn't matter, he didn't look at the speedometer. _There will be better straights later on,_ he told himself. The approaching turn was another left, so he prepared for it by moving to the left side of the road, then decided to yank the e-brake just after he began his turn, swinging the car's rear end around, yet again, then he released it and slammed the throttle to the floor. He was ready for the weakness in his arms as he lessened the throttle early, the RPMs approaching 7500, as the car maneuvered into the sweet spot. Despite the initial shock, he was smiling. _I love this,_ he thought to himself as he took the car back out of the drift and prepared for the right hairpin. He moved to the left side of the road before he shifted the car up and pressed the throttle to the floor. He fluctuated the pressure on the throttle as he swung the car around as far as he could and still aim the car for the right side of the road. By the time the car gripped its tires and momentum picked back up, he was inches from what would be considered cutting the corner. He floored it, shifting through fourth, fifth, then sixth as he pushed the car to its limit before the wide constant radius corner. Drifting it would be pointless in a race, as you would just lose speed and tire traction. Instead, he slowed the car down and maintained a constant turn around the corner. He exited and accelerated again to the finish. He looked down to find the car was pushing 190 mph before he started to slow down, not wanting to waste the tires trying to stop at the last minute.

When the car came to a stop, he was grinning from ear to ear and his hands were shaking from the adrenaline. He looked at Arya, who had a look as if she accomplished something on her face. "I think I need to introduce you to someone." Eragon was confused and he wanted to ask her to elaborate, but he stunned himself after controlling the car the way he did. Arya pulled out her phone and began to sending a series of texts.

 **Saphira**

She was sleeping in before she got spammed by texts from Arya. They all said the same thing:

Get down to Edur Ithindra. I think our luck has changed.

She groaned into her pillow before getting up and taking a shower. She told her mom she was meeting Arya and left the house. When she arrived at the track, she parked her car in the pit stop. She could see Orik's Viper and Arya's GT-R already there as she walked towards Arya, Orik, and Eragon having a conversation. Eragon being there took her by surprise, who was also out of his cast. When she approached the three of them, she spoke. "What's up?"

Eragon and Orik could only wave as Arya began to speak. "I think we've found the driver we've been looking for."

Saphira closed her eyes and sighed. _Great. Another series of tests for yet another person._ "So, who is it?" Saphira asked, not putting two and two together.

Arya smiled at her, probably for Saphira not connecting the dots. "It's Eragon." To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She knew Eragon raced, but she didn't know he could race a high-end car. Nor did she know he could drive a supercar well enough to cause Arya to wake her on her day off.

Saphira collected her thoughts before replying. Once she did, she asked "is Oromis coming?"

"Yes, as is Glaedr." _Glaedr!_ she exclaimed to herself. _Arya hasn't asked Glaedr to come during any of the previous compatibility tests._ She had never met either of them, but she knew that Glaedr is one of the greatest mechanics _ever._ He set record times in the pits during the height of the IRC. Very few people had ever seen Glaedr and Oromis since the fall of the IRC due to the fact that they went into hiding after Galbatorix took over.

Arya speaking drew her from her thoughts ."Saphira, you will have to control yourself around him. He's basically your role model an-"

Saphira cut her off, defensively. "He is _not_ my role model." Arya gave her a look that said _just don't do anything stupid,_ but Arya didn't say anything else. It was then that Saphira really noticed Eragon. _That's unusual,_ she thought to herself. _Normally, he would jump at the chance to have a conversation with Arya._ Instead, he was staring at Arya's GT-R with a blank look on his face.

Saphira was about to speak to him when the sound of a car approaching stopped her. She turned to see a bronze-gold BMW M5 approaching with two people inside. She immediately forgot about Eragon and began to anticipate Glaedr and Oromis. Each second felt like two as they approached. Saphira began to get nervous, like a middle school girl before a date. _What do I say? Do I say anything? Do I need to change my posture?..._ She questioned herself until the pair of men pulled up and exited the car.

The first thing she noticed was that one of the men, who must be Glaedr, was missing his left forearm from the elbow down. Arya walked towards Oromis and said on the way "it's been too long," then hugged both of them, though the one missing an arm shocked them all except for Arya by practically growling at the touch.

Oromis spoke next. "It has. Now," he said as he turned to Eragon and Orik. "I don't believe I've been properly introduced to you two."

Eragon had already refocused on the world by now and spoke to Oromis as he shook his hand. "Hello, sir, my name is Eragon."

Oromis nodded before replying. "I have had my eye on you for a long time. Ever since I found out that you were Brom and Selena's son." As the words came out, Eragon became curious, judging by his facial expression that replaced his blank look. "I was Brom's coach before the fall of the IRC. He and his partner, Saphira, were great pupils before she was killed in the fall." Without giving others a chance to reply, Oromis' attitude completely changed. He became serious and began telling others his plan. _He doesn't like being this far out in the open,_ Saphira thought to herself. She knew Oromis and Glaedr remained in the center of Ellesméra, a huge, private neighborhood in Weldenvarden. Oromis only agreed to leave to examine possible racer-dragon connections that could help stop Galbatorix and the URC, which didn't happen often and only took fifteen minutes _max._ Oromis didn't have to test Saphira, but Eragon and the possible connection between Eragon and Saphira was a different story.

Oromis turned to Eragon and Saphira before he spoke next. "There are two tests I will want the two of you to try. The first will consist of Saphira riding with Eragon, calling out approaching changes and how Eragon should take the change, whether it be to speed up, drift, slow down, etc.. The next will have Saphira and Eragon separated. Eragon, you will drive the course as you see fit while Saphira will have another task in the tower. Before we begin that, we," gesturing to everyone besides Eragon, "will watch how you perform on the track." Saphira was expecting the next part, but Eragon wasn't based on the shock on his face afterwards. "I will be riding shotgun while the others are watching from above."

Everyone was silent until Glaedr starting leading everyone away except for Eragon and Oromis, who were heading towards Arya's GT-R, the car he was most familiar with. Saphira walked while looking back at Eragon. _Something is off about him,_ she thought. _I'll talk to him afterwards,_ she decided as she walked to the announcer's tower in the center of the track.

 **A/N**

Thank you for the story follow LaPrawn. Every follow and review is appreciated.

Sorry for it being late again. Long story short, I had finals, then didn't have service to proofread until about an hour ago. There are a couple of events I have flipped around to try to explain some things more, which will come more in the next chapter. The cliffhanger was a little much. It wasn't even a good one tbh, but I will write the next part of this, hopefully, by Sunday night so I figured it would be okay. I answered the reviews on the chapter update last chapter, so if you're curious about them and joined the story late, there they are.

So, I dropped Eragon's mourning rather bluntly and I did this mainly because I was trying to portray how much Eragon enjoys driving cars and because, once others show up, I wanted to enforce the fact that Eragon was trying to hide his emotions, though Arya and Saphira know him well enough to know something is wrong.


	13. Chapter 12 - Observations

**A/N**

First of all, sorry about not uploading this yesterday. My JROTC Colonel gave me an essay for homework and I couldn't bring myself to look at any more words once I finished it. Then, this morning, I saw Mahavia's review and had to implement it into this chapter, as I get where he/she is coming from. With this being the last week of school, chapter updates should be on-time for a while. Anyways, thank you for the support and R&R.

 **Chapter 12**

 **Eragon**

All Eragon could do once he stopped driving with Arya was think about his parents and their lives. The joy of driving had all but vanished as he was, once again, left with his thoughts. He was barely paying attention to those around him until Oromis was talking. It was only then that he noticed Oromis had arrived and began talking to Eragon, keeping his replies polite but short until he mentioned his parents, sparking Eragon's curiosity. _I'll ask him once we finish the tests,_ he decided.

Eragon didn't connect the dots to his research of Oromis until they were mere feet from the car. There was nothing to ask him because it all made sense that Oromis would retire from racing to become a coach, but Eragon decided to mention it when he asks Oromis about his parents. The atmosphere around them grew serious with Oromis and Glaedr present.

Eragon observed the GT-R once again before he climbed into it. He saw the rounded grille that transitioned into a much more aerodynamic design that followed the car through the rest of the car. Black detailing covered anomalies in the aerodynamic design, bringing out the intakes and exhausts in the design, making everything seem deliberate rather than the anomalies being important to keep the car working properly.

After admiring the countless hours put into the car's design, he opened the door and sat in the red and black leather seats. He started the car as Oromis began telling Eragon his plan. "For now, I want you to drive through the track as quickly as possible. I will count you off, then go see what records you break," Oromis said with a smile, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

Despite Oromis' efforts, Eragon was serious as he maneuvered the car into the starting position. He adjusted his hands in anticipation just before Oromis began his countdown. "3." Eragon shifted the car to second, then revved the engine, stopping at the 4 on the RPM gauge. "2." Eragon held the rev, ready to release the brake. "1." Eragon was tense, attempting to anticipate the word 'go' to gain what few milliseconds he could from the advantage. "Go." As the word came out, Eragon went into action. He quickly shifted through the 6-speed transmission, trying to gain what he could during the launch. Eragon's plan for the turns was already formulated in his mind. He took the first turn by lightly swinging angling the car into a drift, just enough for the car to lose traction. Eragon was trying to maintain speed and too high of an angle would reduce the speed. His foot was constantly fluctuating as he maintained his angle to the best of his ability.

He let off of the gas pedal as he wanted to regain traction as the turn became a straight. His arms were screaming at him for putting them through this again. He shoved the burn out as he continued his plan for the course. He slammed on his brakes as the left turn approached, then he turned the wheel to swing the rear end of the car out. The car maintained the driving line until the turn began to even out. Eragon held the brakes down until he was at the edge of the track, which caused him to gradually release the brakes and slam the gas pedal to the floor, which allowed him to aggressively slow down from 120 mph and enter the corner simultaneously. When done right, it is the best feeling drift as the weight of the car shifts from the rear, going above 100 mph, to the front, dropping to drifting speeds.

Throughout the turn, he fought the weakness in his arms using the combination of throttle and turning the steering wheel he used earlier. He could feel the tires bounce on the rumble strips. The car overextended, but there was nothing to do to fix it without being reckless, so he waited until the turn shallower into another straight before shallowing his angle until he was straight, flooring it towards the next left turn. Mere seconds later, he was at the turn and initiating the exact drift he did last time, this time preventing the car from overextending. He felt the weight of the car shift towards the front again, just before he began to exit the turn. He smoothly exited the turn and knew the hairpin was next. This turn took extra consideration due to the tightness of the hairpin. His decision on how to tackle the turn: Scandinavian flick. He turned the wheel to the left before hitting the e-brake, releasing it, then spinning the wheel back to the right as fast as his arms would let him. He felt the rear of the car speed up as momentum grew. The car, as a result, sped up with the loss of traction. Eragon, then, began to counter the rear end in an attempt to gain traction as the hairpin straightened. He released the throttle when the hairpin ended, which provided the car with a surplus of traction, then he started moving through the gears as he approached the wide radius corner. There was only one speed-efficient way to take the corner, which consisted of a long, consistent turn. He slowed down to ensure his car retained the minimal traction to remain straight. The tires were squeaking throughout the turn as he pushed the car at 60 mph. As the corner finally became the final straight, he pushed the car to its limit to try to keep his time as low as possible. He flew through the transmission, third, fourth, fifth, then crossed the finish right before he could shift to sixth.

He slowed the car to a stop, realizing he hadn't even glanced at Oromis' reactions throughout the track due to his focus. His face was neutral, which caused disappointment to course through Eragon, which was unusual with the adrenaline leaving his body. _I didn't do well enough to shock him,_ he thought to himself.

Oromis spoke first, his voice enveloped in calm. "Do you know what the record on this track is?" Eragon shook his head, not trusting his voice yet. "The best single lap time was one minute, thirty-two seconds exactly. Do you know what your time was?" Eragon shook his head again. "It was two minutes, three seconds." Eragon wasn't sure if he did well or not, being his first time on the track. "That is one of the best rookie times I have ever seen on a track." The disappointment in Eragon vanished as he became ecstatic.

Finally trusting his voice, Eragon spoke. "So," he stopped himself for a moment to ensure he wouldn't stutter, "what does that mean for me?"

Oromis smiled. " _That_ particular question is up to Saphira. We will know more once we talk to Glaedr and Saphira, but, as for future tests, they will wait for a future date. It was obvious that your arms need to rest." Eragon nodded again. Eragon looked to see Saphira and Glaedr walking towards them, followed by Arya and Orik.

 **Saphira**

Everyone followed Glaedr into the tower. He moved with a purpose and it was rather difficult to casually walk behind him. Nobody spoke as they made their way to the top of the tower, despite Orik's occasional curse under his breath directed towards the height of the tower, which caused Saphira to smile at his fear of heights. When they finally made it to the top, Saphira saw the cube-shaped room after she caught her breath. The glass panes were angled outwards to allow viewers a more vertical view when looking down. Inside the room, there were various control panels with buttons for the lights throughout the track, with rolling office chairs and mounted TV's scattered. There was a fine layer of dust covering the TV's and panels from inconsistent use over recent years.

Saphira diverted her attention from the room and towards where Eragon and Oromis were sitting inside Arya's GT-R. The car was moving towards the starting line when Glaedr spoke. "I want you to observe as Eragon drive, nothing more. Once they finish, you can summarize anything that you notice."

"Will do" was Saphira's reply. She'd done this before, but Glaedr was always absent and Oromis didn't have time to talk.

Saphira watched Eragon's car stop at the starting line as she began to attempt to understand Eragon, but he was a huge mystery to her. On one hand, she felt like he was a very close friend, but it was as if she understood who he was more than facts about his life. Stories of Brom and the deaths of his parents were all she knew about his past.

Suddenly the Nissan sparked to life as the tires squealed, which brought Saphira from her thoughts. As the car maneuvered through the first and second turns, something struck Saphira that this is different than previous drivers. Something clicked into place, and it was as if she knew what Eragon was going to do before he did it, though vaguely.

Saphira wasn't paying attention to anyone in the tower as she solely focused on the track ahead of Eragon and his driving. While she couldn't see every detail due to the distance, she could watch as Eragon hit the e-brake, slammed on the brakes, performed a, rather exquisite, Scandinavian flick, and more. Saphira accurately predicted the Scandinavian flick. _It's a hairpin. What else would he do?_ Saphira saw Eragon, in her head, moved to the outside of turns before he initiated the moves, which he always shortly followed her imagined image.

When the car began driving around the wide constant radius corner, Glaedr broke the silence. "Let's go meet them at the starting line," then he began walking down the stairs.

Saphira heard Orik say "so...many...stairs" before the three remaining teenagers in the tower began their descent.

Saphira decided to aggravate Orik by saying "you shouldn't complain so much, Orik. I hear it's bad for you." Orik didn't reply as they finished the first flight of stairs and continued through the rest of the stairs. When they finally reached the bottom, Orik was taking huge breaths while Arya looked completely normal. Saphira was definitely breathing heavier, but nowhere near as bad as Orik. Saphira spoke loud enough so Arya and Orik could here. "Cardio" was all she jokingly said as she began walking after Glaedr, not watching Orik's reaction.

She had to practically run to catch up with the man. Glaedr still didn't speak as they made their way to the parked GT-R. When they arrived, Eragon and Oromis had already gotten out. Saphira noted that Eragon was focused on the world now. Oromis began speaking. "Saphira, may I ask about your observations?"

Saphira was expecting a question like this from Oromis. "This was different than the previous racers. It was as if I knew how Eragon would take a particular corner before he did it, though I didn't know specifics because this is the first time I've seen him drive a car."

Oromis looked at Glaedr before continuing. "Okay, that will be enough for today. I believe Eragon needs a rest, and Glaedr and I have to go anyways. I'll have Arya contact you two about the next meeting."

Eragon nodded as Saphira replied with "okay." With that said, Oromis and Glaedr spoke their goodbyes before heading towards their car and leaving.

Eragon spoke next. "That was abrupt."

Arya replied first in a more serious tone. "They don't leave often for fear of Galbatorix finding them, which is a very real fear." A look of understanding crossed Eragon's face as he recalled the explanation earlier, then a look as if he had forgotten something flashed across his face before it vanished.

Saphira wanted to ask Eragon about his distance earlier, but she decided that Eragon was probably not ready for that conversation without eating a proper meal yet. With that, Orik seemed to decide to leave. His rough voice spoke. "I'm going to head out. I've got some business stuff to attend to before the day ends. See you guys Monday." He waved to the three of them and walked towards his Viper.

It was a gorgeous car that was entirely yellow, with two six inch wide stripes that went from the very front of the car to the absolute back of the car. The body was rounded with an extra-long hood, covered with various intake and outtake vents. The cab of the car retained an aerodynamic look until it slopes down towards the back, leading into the top of the trunk, where the spoiler rose out of. The car had a wide body look to it, with the fenders extending out more than the doors.

The main issue with Vipers were the huge amount of torque that made them hard to control, which sits at 600 ft-lbs. That can cause the car to be hard to control, especially when drifting around a tight corner.

As Orik climbed into his car, Saphira decided it was time for her to get back to her nap. The final three spoke their goodbyes as she walked back to her R8. The body was simple when compared to Arya's GT-R and Orik's Viper. The front of the car is very rounded, which gradually works its way up from the bumper, then grows horizontal as the hood covers the engine. At the back of the hood, the cab is low-profile, with the glass forming a shallow angle from the ground, as it moves to a rounded roof that slopes down to the trunk, which has a small spoiler on top. The doors have an indention that stops just before each back tire's respective fender, that is covered by a black piece of detailing, concluding the indention inches before the rear tire's start.

It wasn't a perfect car, by any means of the word, but it was an amazing car that did its job well. As she climbed in, she followed Orik out with Arya's GT-R behind her. Thinking about nothing but sleep, she drove to her house.

 **A/N**

Mahavia-Thanks for the follow and review. I tried to implement your suggestions into this, but I'm honestly not sure how I did. They seem out of place to me. I can take a harder look at the cars' descriptions and some of the other stuff if they are out of place, but I wanted some more sets of eyes before I did. I completely agree with everything you said in your review and will try to fix all of those things in the future or implement them properly. I considered various ways to have some sort of mental connection(including some sort of brain implant), but I wouldn't even know where to begin with it to make it realistic to me either, so I probably won't do it. I might tag your review along with this chapter to double its length…and I might abandon this just to continue your curse...we shall see. Just kidding. In all seriousness, I don't plan on abandoning a story without giving some sort of explanation or timeframe.

Setting Sights-That was something I have been trying to work into the story. My biggest problem is describing something I can't see, so I might just google a school and use that. Two things I suck at: making decisions and inventing images.

Asnari-First missed deadline...hopefully the last. I'm not happy with Colonel about that essay. I think I know how I'm going to do Saphira and Eragon's relationship. Now I just have to put it into words.

That's about it. Please leave a review about what you think.


	14. AN-Delay

This is a quick post. This chapter will be delayed to tomorrow. Graduation wore me out and I don't have the energy to proofread right now. Sorry, I just need some sleep with summer break officially kicking back off.

I'm not sure when exactly it will be yo, but I will try to get it up ASAP.


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